The Wild One
by TigerGirl25
Summary: After what happened six years ago, someone is threatening the existence of Auras Kingdom and all pokemon who live there. The Gemini, the four guardians of Xerneas's power, can only give so much, and when this certain someone can awaken Yveltal, they will not be able to stop him. But, Xerneas's descendent, the Wild One, can.
1. Prologue: The Tale of Life and Death

**The Wild One **

**Prologue**

**The Tale of Life and Death**

"_A very long time ago…"_

_The mother whispered to her child as it clung to her back, trying to calm it from the harsh sounds of the storm. Cold, burning rain pelted their faces as if it were hail. The wind blew fiercely at the trees of the forest, bashing them against each other with such force that they tempted to give up the fight and fall over. Lightning cut the dark sky open with its blue glow, and seconds later a thundering roar interrupted the fight of the trees. _

"_...Arceus created guardians to protect the elements of our world." The mother's voice was sweet as honey, filled with compassion and love. "Yveltal, the pokemon to guard the laws of death, and Xerneas, the pokemon to guard the wonders of life, were created to bring about balance in the world. They were created like brother and sister."_

_Two figures ran through the forest, fast and quick like Linoone. They did their best to keep their eyes open and their minds focused, but the mother depended on her husband to led her as she tried to calm the child. It gripped her skin tighter, causing her to flinch, but she still smiled and rubbed her head affectionately against the baby's. It whined softly, shivering from the thick cold the storm provided._

"_But, as siblings are, they fought. Yveltal sought to show his power, by making death dominant in the world. Xerneas sought to show the beauty of the life she created. They tried to make peace, but one day Xerneas, just to show her brother that life is amazing, regrew his home from the gray, ashy place it once was. He broke out in anger and rage, and the war between siblings began."_

_The husband took a sharp turn, desperate to throw their pursuers off their trail. The mother suddenly stopped her story and turned, switching her feet around to do so easily. A cry, a shout of fear, came from the baby, making the husband feel guilt for his child. However, the mother hushed the child and continued to tell her story._

"_Because of their fighting, nature grew further and further into destruction, and this sought the attention of the guardian of the Earth. Zygarde felt everything shifting drastically off balance in the world he worked very hard to protect. He tried to stop the war between Life and Death, but they would not listen, and so Zygarde had no choice. He had to make a decision."_

_As the mother and father ran, two figures followed behind. They were losing sight of their targets, and the rain washed away the scents. All they could do was follow the footprints, but even those were being washed away quickly. Still, they couldn't lose those two, so they kept on._

_Suddenly, a loud crack shattered the air as a bolt of light whizzed down from the sky. It struck a tree, splitting it clear in half and burning the wood into a pitch black. One half of the tree tilted, and the leaves rustled as it fell. It struck the ground, stopping the hunters in their path, while letting the hunted get away. The pursuers growled with anger and ran as fast as they could around the fallen log._

_It was too late. Their prey, protected by the storm had disappeared into the night with their children._

"_Zygarde forced Yveltal and Xerneas into sleep, where they remained trapped in their dreams. However, Xerneas knew she couldn't leave the Earth pokemon to do her job, so she used the power from the crystals on her horn to make four gems, which would help keep nature in balance. And, with the power from her life source, she made a fifth crystal that held her own power to make life from death."_

"_Honey," the husband called calmly. His voice was soothing and protective. "We must leave them here."_

"_Oh, but…" The mother looked back to her child, who was fighting to stay awake on her back. "They haven't heard the ending."_

"_I'm sorry dear, but we must hurry."_

_The father and mother began to work quickly. They dug a den, much like they had before, under the roots of a strong tree. Leaves were used to line the bottom with a soft layer, so their children could sleep softly. Nearby, there was a small creek to supply them with water._

_It was a tearful goodbye to the sleeping children, and the mother had never cried harder before in her life. The father knew they couldn't stay long, and he practically had to pull his wife away, but not before she whispered their names into their large ears, hoping they would remember their mother's voice_

_One of the cubs opened its large brown eyes, ears bent back, and saw two black figures run off. Seconds later, it saw two pink figures chase after them, completely oblivious to the small cubs in the den. The cub shivered._

_It whispered a word, it's first word: "Crysti."_

_The husband and wife ran on through the storm, running against the wind, barely able to keep their eyes open. Their pursuers ran fast amongst the trees instead of on the path, able to go faster with the wind hitting them less. They saw the two dark figures just beside them, clueless to their presence. The first figure nodded to the second, and they both jumped out of the thicket together, each aiming for one of them._

_The cub shrunk further into the den, shivering in fear, after hearing a howl that wasn't from the wind, but from a pokemon._

The vision ended and the Future Orb stopped blinking. Julia breathed calmly, staring at the orb with questioning eyes. It was the last vision she would ever receive, for now her son was to take her place. But what did it mean?


	2. Chapter 1: Enter Cyle and Abbie

**Chapter 1**

**Enter Cyle and Abbie**

At six-years-old, Cyle Westney was no longer considered a cub. He was growing and learning the ways of his home: Auras Kingdom. With his father being the king, he was next in line for the throne. Now that he was old enough, he needed to learn everything he could when it came time for him to become king. And, he still needed to evolve.

As an Eevee, he was pretty weak, but if he evolved, his level should increased dramatically. His cream colored collar was not at all threatening, but gave him the potential to evolve into a Vaporeon or a Flareon. But, as much as he loved those options, they just weren't for him. Cyle wanted to become a Jolteon, like his dad, or an Umbreon, like his uncle.

But, the choice wasn't his. He just needed to make do with what he had.

"Cyle, are you ready?"

The male Eevee looked up from his downward-Lillipup warm up. His sister Cecilia sat patiently by him, looking into his deep blue eyes and waiting for him to finish his warm up so they could start the practice battle. He leaned forward into an upward-Lillipup and walked his back legs up until he was standing straight.

"Yeah, let's go. You get the first move."

Cecilia wasted no time. She ran full speed toward her brother, trailed by a white aura, and knocked him clean off his feet in one hit. Then, as he quickly regained his stance, she ran at him again with her Quick Attack. Cyle barely managed to dodge, and while she was slowing down, he charged up his Shadow Ball. He pulled the energy from the orb in his heart, focusing hard as it traveled through his veins and formed a sphere in front of his mouth.

It took a few seconds for the Shadow Ball to get big enough, which was more than enough time for Cecilia to attack, but she let her brother do his thing. He wasn't as strong, nor as skilled, as she was, so naturally she had to take it easy on him. When he launched his move, it shifted to the right, and she dodged even though she knew it wasn't going to hit her, and that it would have no effect.

"I thought it would hit you this time," Cyle panted.

"You'll get there."

Cyle jumped at Cece, ready to land a Tackle, but he was too high off the ground. She crouched low, her stomach touching the ground, and when her brother went over her, she pushed up with her paws, throwing him straight into the air. As he struggled for balance, the energy in her heart easily turned her tail to iron, and Cecilia jumped. She nailed his back with her Iron Tail, and Cyle hit the ground hard. Still, he struggled to his feet and continued to fight.

Using this chance, Cece ran in close to land a Tackle, but he kicked his back feet up sloppily, throwing sand in her face. It went into her eyes, blinding her for enough time for Cyle to attack. He ran and tackled her side, sending her tumbling across the battlefield. She got up and rubbed her eyes, trying to get the sand out. Cyle pulled the dark energy from the orb in his heart, getting the Shadow Ball big enough in less time than the last try. He launched it with fairly good accuracy, but Cecilia was already prepared. She used her Quick Attack, running through the Shadow Ball and gaining no damage, and it was too late for Cyle.

She sent them both tumbling, head over paws. They both attempted to come out on top, but Cece pinned her brother. He wiggled, but came to no success. She easily pulled out the dark energy required to make her Shadow Ball, and teased her brother by making it bigger and bigger until it was centimeters from his face.

"Okay!" He shouted. "I give up! Mercy!"

Cecilia chuckled, letting her orb dissipate into the air as she got off. "You should practice more."

"You both practice a lot. I'm proud of both of you."

The two Eevee looked toward the entrance to the battle room, finding a yellow furred creature with a spiky tail and white spiked collar. The Jolteon wore a crown on his head, and bore the blue eyes of the Auras Kingdom royal family.

"Hi Daddy," Cecilia said happily.

"Hey Dad," Cyle greeted. "Did you see our battle?"

"Of course I did," King Breo stated with a smile. "You both did excellent. I'd say you've both reached the high enough level to evolve."

"I think so," Cyle agreed, sitting down to rest. "I can't decide which one I want though."

Cece chuckled at him, brushing the cream-colored fur of her collar. "You don't get to choose, you know."

"I think, as the king's son, I'm an exception." Cyle smiled at his dad, expecting him to agree. "Right Dad?"

Breo shook his head. "Sorry Cyle. As an Eevee and future king, you must take the evolution test and receive the pokemon that gives you the most potential to grow."

"What!" Cyle growled. "That's not fair. I should be able to choose!"

"Eevee are the symbol of strength and potential in this kingdom, and they need to be treated as such."

"Cyle, calm down." Cecilia said, getting irritated with her brother. "It's not that big of a deal."

"For you it isn't. Any pokemon you evolve into will suit you. But for me getting anything but a Jolteon or Umbreon will suck. That's two out of eight! There's six chances for me to get something that will make me worse than I am now."

Cyle angrily stormed out of the Battle Room, slamming the door behind him. He wanted to choose, but he knew he shouldn't have been mad about it. He wasn't, though. He was just worried, a little mad, but mostly worried. If he planned on joining the Gemini and becoming part of their team, he did need to grow as much as he could, and if the evolution test said that a Sylveon would give him the best chance, then that's how it was.

Still, he was upset.

…

At six years old, Abbie was no longer a cub, yet everyone treated her like some petty little cub who was just trying to get attention. It wasn't her fault that she had to steal, but everyone blamed it on her. She mostly got away with it, but every once in awhile, when one of the Gemini or Zen was in town, it didn't happen.

Her parents abandoned her in the forest just outside of Wisp Town, the southernmost town to the royal castle, alone and hungry at one-year-old. She was just a baby, but since then she has grown stronger and faster. Her legs were long and sleek, her body graceful, her ears perfectly round, her face perfectly shaped, her teeth a pearly white shade, and her claws the perfect length. The only thing wrong was her stomach. While she ate just enough to keep her energy levels stable, she ate half of what was recommended as a cub, causing the cut of her stomach and the lack of nutrients. Her ribs stuck out slightly, but her shiny coat kept it from being noticed.

Abbie was always good with everything else, since she never got the food she needed. From clean teeth to perfect claws, everything was kept up with her. She always brushed her coat, getting the tangles out, cleaned her teeth every morning and night, and sharpened her claws on the bark of the trees. Even training was an everyday for her. She was in great shape, able to run for a long time (quite fast as well), fight an opponent three times her side and win, and dodge and block attacks with ease.

On her neck was a red bandana, a symbol of her strength and potential. Once, there was a contest for pre-evolves in the next town over, and the prize was a red bandana. It may not have seemed like much, but when it was laced with gold thread and had a paw print sewn into it, that meant it came from the king's castle. And _that_ meant a pokemon was strong and worthy of it. Abbie took a small fraction of pride in her strength, but she wasn't cocky or over-confident. She worked hard for that bandana, so she was going to wear it.

Just a few moments ago, she snuck into the town square unnoticed, hiding behind a tent someone put up. Her head peaked out just a little bit, enough to see what was going on. The Kecleon shined off several apples, placing them all in the pyramid right on top of the wood counter. With any luck, she would be able to fill her stomach and not attract any attention to herself. The time came as Kecleon turned around, picking up a couple more things. He dropped them, and went on his knees to pick them up.

_Here we go_, the young pokemon thought to herself. She just hoped that Zen and the Gemini weren't in town.

She darted from the shadows, quick as lightning, leaving only a blur. She didn't know how to use Quick Attack, but her speed matched it perfectly. Skidding to a halt in front of the wooden counter filled with apples, the Eevee clamped her jaws onto the stem. She bolted the other way, running straight for the protection of the thick forest.

She was covered by the thicket of trees, but she could still hear the alarmed sounds of the pokemon. Abbie continued running, gliding gracefully on the ground and barely losing any breath. It was almost as if she walking, since she used only that much energy.

Suddenly, something in her mind warned her. It came from her right side, and her ears pricked at the noise. In a flash and without thinking about, the energy went from the orb in her chest, through her veins, and coated her tail in iron. In a split second, she jumped and twirled around, hitting her tail against another pokemon. It flew a clear ten feet away from her, but twisted midair and landed back on all four paws. Abbie landed gracefully on the ground, still holding the apple between her teeth.

The pokemon stared at her with narrow red eyes and with its body lowered into perfect attacking stance. Its black fur was smooth against its body, except for the shoulders, thighs, and foreheads, where a ring was. That ring could light up, and aid as a tool for seeing in the dark. Of course, though, a dark type like Umbreon didn't need the ring, as it could already see in the dark.

"Zen," Abbie said through her closed teeth.

It was a bright day, about three years ago, when Abbie first met Zen and the Gemini. The sun was out and shining, there were very few clouds, and everyone in the village was celebrating. Apparently, a pokemon had gone missing a month beforehand, and everyone in the town cared for this pokemon. They were worried and afraid that she would never come back, but Zen and the Gemini found her and returned her to the town. In return for their heroic actions, the town's pokemon asked them to stay and watch the battles, and they agreed, of course.

It was that day that Abbie first went into the village. She had spent an entire two years in the forest, surviving and growing stronger after her parents abandoned her. The hunger was killing her, and she noticed that everyone left their stores unattended because they were watching the battles and asking the Gemini questions. So, naturally, when she spotted food, she went for it.

Next thing Abbie knew, a necklace fell from the counter and latched on her fur. She accidentally hit the counter, causing some pottery to fall off and shatter, which caught the attention of everyone in the square. Then, she was running (even back then she was fast), and five pokemon were running after her. Of course, she was easily stopped, and the necklace that she didn't mean to take was ripped from her, pulling out some of her fur. The pokemon stood over her, and she hurried to her paws, ready to take on all of them even though she wouldn't win.

There was a Ninetales, shining cream-colored fur tipped with red on each of her nine tails, wearing a cream band on her neck with a diamond-shaped orange gem embedded in it. Her name was Zodia and she was the strongest of the Gemini. Swipe, the Swellow had a red gem embedded in the dark blue harness on his back, and he was definitely the fastest of the four. The female Gallade with a purple gem in the white band on her head was powerful with her psychic attacks. She had always wanted to become a Gallade since she was a Kirlia, but never could because she was female, but the gem had let her evolve into what she wanted. The last pokemon was a Lucario named Luca. His blue gem was in the black band on his wrist, and he was skilled when it came to hand to hand combat.

Those four pokemon, as Abbie learned, were known as the Gemini, and the gems on the bands they had were called Crysti. The Crysti amplified the power in their life source, and it could only be used by the one who it was meant for. The Gemini were each led to their Crysti, but it was Zen, the Umbreon, who taught them how to use it. He found them and trained them.

Ever since they first met her, since anyone first met her, she was branded as a thief. Since then, no one ever trusted Abbie or treated her with kindness. So, she was forced to steal to survive.

And now, here she was facing Zen yet again, but today she was really hungry and was not giving back the apple.

"Stealing again?" Zen asked, slowly approaching her. "Not only did you take that apple but I see you've also stolen a battle bandana."

"Nope. The bandana is mine. I won it in a tournament a month ago," Abbie said simply. "And now this apple is mine because I'm hungry and I haven't eaten in two days."

"Weren't you ever taught that stealing is wrong?" Zen asked.

Suddenly, Zen launched a Shadow Ball directly at the Eevee. She easily saw what he was doing. It would pass through her, but not the apple. He was forcing her to move, and when she rolled to the left, he was already there. He opened his mouth, revealing a set of teeth surrounded by a dark aura. Abbie pushed herself back, narrowly avoiding his Bite attack.

She got herself back in a defensive stance, ready to avoid another attack. "It's just an apple!" She said in almost a growl. "Why are you fighting so hard to get it back? They have more than enough!"

He disappeared when he ran at her, already starting up a Feint attack. Abbie growled to herself, knowing it would be hard for her to see where he was. Every two seconds, she could catch a small glimpse of the Umbreon, but then it felt as if something was telling her it came from behind. She trusted the warning and jumped up, feeling the rush of Zen under her just seconds later. He skidded to a stop.

"Because you need to be taught a lesson! Clearly your parents did an awful job!"

But, Abbie was gone. She had jumped up into the branches of the trees, hidden amongst the leaves. She moved around randomly in her element, so her voice could not be used to predict where she would be next. "My parents abandoned me when I was two. I hope you're happy now."

She jumped down from the branches and threw the apple core at his paws. Zen looked at it and growled at her, about to say something, but she turned and walked deeper into the forest, hiding the smirk on her face. Abbie, for the first time, had actually beaten him, even if it wasn't in an actual battle.

The apple tasted sweeter after seeing the expression on Zen's face when he had lost to Abbie.

Upon getting home, which was a burrow in the ground, the Eevee glanced over at a bundle of flecks colored red, yellow, and blue. She had been collecting them for years, ever since she first met the Gemini. The blue flecks were for the Water Stone, which was only half completed. The pile of red flecks was the Fire Stone which was slightly more completed than the Water Stone. But the Thunderstone looked as if it was completely done. Abbie only needed a small chunk of flecks and it would fully complete the evolution stone.

No one in town knew her name, which was both good and bad. Bad because that meant no one bothered to help her, but good because if she evolved, no one would know her as the "thief" they branded her as. Then she would have a new start and not have to change her name.

So Abbie got to work. She walked east, along the trail that she usually did, heading deeper into the forest. With no rush, since the day was only half over, she stopped to enjoy the surroundings. The river she passed by had been eroded over the years, so originally it was just a small creek. She followed the river northeast, seeing the wall surrounding the kingdom just off a mile or two, and Abbie finally came to her digging destination. It was right by a tree that had been dug under and lined with leaves, as if someone was living there.

Abbie released her claws and started pawing at the dirt quickly, pulling it behind her faster than a Diglet. It wasn't long before she found what she was looking for. It was a fraction of the stone bigger than fifty flecks. And just within her luck, it was yellow, the sign of the Thunderstone. Sealing her jaw on the yellow rock, she scratched and yanked and pulled until the fragment was yanked out of the ground.

She grabbed a couple of leaves, the biggest ones she could find, and carried them back to her burrow along with the yellow fragment. She started by getting several pieces of red flecks and throwing them into the pit she made. Using her claw, she scratched one of the pieces very quickly and it sparked up a fire. She used some of the leaves to fuel the fire, and made a makeshift bowl out of the rest of them, putting the yellow flecks inside and hanging it above the fire.

Once all the pieces got warm, the green oils inside would rise to the top and yellow oils on the outside would sink into the inside. After that, all of them would melt together and form into the evolution stone. It wasn't necessary for Abbie to do this, but she wanted to wait and evolve like every other Eevee. She could just touch all the pieces at once and evolve but the stone was more traditional.

Just thinking about her evolution made her excited. No more living in the forest, _and_ she would be a Jolteon! Speed and electricity would be Abbie's greatest allies in battle. After waiting so long, even longer than a typical Eevee would, she would become more powerful. One day, she knew she would do great things, and she knew that she could help her kingdom become even better.

Abbie fell asleep waiting for the stone to finish.


	3. Chapter 2: Like a Map

**Chapter 2**

**Like a Map**

The orb sat on a marble pillar in the throne room of the castle with a white mist swirling inside of it. Every ten seconds or so, it flashed pink, alerting any nearby pokemon. Usually, it gave off a relaxing aura with the good news it almost always brought, but right now, the aura was uncertain. It built up worry in the pokemon surrounding it, and no one was looking forward to seeing its message this time, though it was probably nothing.

Two Umbreon, a Jolteon, two Eevee, and the Gemini. Zen, his brother King Breo (a Jolteon), and their mother (the other Umbreon) were the closest to it while Cyle and Cecilia watched from a distance, and Cecilia seemed especially interested in what was going on. The Gemini stood behind Breo and Zen, waiting until they could be helpful.

"I remember when I found this orb," the older Umbreon said. She smiled at it, thinking way back. "It gave me this feeling of hope, but right now it feels nothing like I'm used to."

"I didn't even know the Future Orb could make anyone feel this way." Zen stated, remembering how it felt when the orb showed him where to find the Gemini, and thinking how it felt nothing like it did now. "Xerneas must sense something bad is about to happen."

"Stop worrying, brother," Breo said with a hopeful smile. "I'm sure it's nothing."

"It's never felt this way before. It's been dormant for so long that I thought it meant our future would be safe."

Zen's mother smiled. "That's why I chose you for this, and why Breo is king. He makes good decisions for the kingdom, and you make good decisions for the future. Just open it and look."

"We're here too, Zen," the Ninetales said with a bright smile as her Crysti shone orange. "We can all help if it tells us something bad, or something we don't understand."

"How bad do you think it is?" Cyle whispered to his sister, not taking his eyes off the swirling orb.

She didn't answer. Cece looked between Zen and the Gemini and the Future Orb, almost completely entranced by it. She focused, analyzing every word, and she didn't even hear her brother calling her name.

"Cece!" Cyle shouted in a whisper, knocking her out of trance. "What were you thinking about?"

"It's just interesting," She answered, playing off his curiosity.

Zen faced the orb and closed his eyes, focusing his mind on the energy in his heart. It transferred directly to his brain, and when he opened his eyes they were glowing with a pink aura. He focused the power on the orb, and slowly, the white mist started to swirl out. The Umbreon stopped using his Psychic, thinking that the orb would stop, but it didn't. The mist continued to come out, making everyone back up so they wouldn't be touched.

"What's it doing?" Swipe asked. He jumped into flight, pushing winds at the mist as it seemed to come at him directly. However, it was unaffected and refused to be blown away. "Julia, Zen, what's happening?"

"I don't know," the female Umbreon answered. "It's never done this before."

Zodia, Kila, and Luca were all being targeted by the mist as well, but, like Swipe, they tried to get away from it. Kila used her psychic on the mist, which did nothing just like Zodia's little flames. Luca, however, was more curious. He reached one foot out and stepped into the mist. It responded, swirling around his leg and sending a cold wave into his body.

"It doesn't hurt," Luca said. He tried to lift his foot, but his leg was paralyzed by the mist. He tried harder, but then he felt his other leg becoming paralyzed as well. "Guys, I can't move. It won't let me move."

Suddenly, the mist shot out at the other three Gemini, curling around their legs and forcing them to be still. Zodia growled and was about to unleash a full powered Flamethrower at, when Julia told them to stop.

She walked through the mist, not being hurt or paralyzed at all. In fact, it seemed to move away from her as if it only wanted the Gemini. "This orb would never hurt any of you. It must need to show you something, so let it."

The Gemini were unsure, but Zodia trusted Julie, so she remained still. The mist seemed to easily travel around her, and formed into somewhat of a Seviper head staring her down. Without warning, it shot at her, or rather, at the orange Crysti on her neck, and she flinched. It was absorbed into the gem, leaving it with flashing light at the bottom and left corners. Then, the mist around her disappeared, and Zodia was free to move again.

Swipe, Luca, and Kila followed her example, watching as the mist coiled around them and shot into their gems. As soon as the task was done, the rest of the mist retreated back to the Future Orb, leaving everyone astounded at what had happened. The orb stopped flashing and sat there, dormant.

There was silence for a while, until Cecilia finally asked, "What happened?" She needed to find out before it was time.

Luca looked at the blue gem on his wrist, watching as the left corner blinked. "I don't know. I don't feel different."

"They're...flashing," Kila said, seeing the bottom corner of her gem flashing when she took it off.

"I think we can all agree that what just happened was a little creepy," Swipe said. "Zen, did you see anything?"

The male Umbreon hesitated for so long that it seemed as if he didn't hear the Swellow, but answered, "No." He paused again. "If you all could, I would like to think about it. Alone."

Everyone understood and headed out. Julia lagged behind, waiting to be alone with her son just for a moment. When the two Umbreon were the only ones left in the room, she looked Zen in the eye and smiled. "If you worry too much about the future, and dwell on what happened in the past, you'll miss what's happening right now. Take it from someone who's had the experience." She rubbed her head affectionately against his and left the room.

Zen sighed, pushing the memories away, and looked at the ground as his ears fell back.

…

A Ninetales, A Lucario, A Swellow, and a Gallade battled each other. It was a free for all, yet they all held back. Even so, the moves were intense and powerful.

"So what do you think is happening with our Crysti?" Kila asked as she threw another powerful punch at Luca. He easily blocked it with the outside of his forearm and grabbed her foot when she kicked. The sound it made was similar to the sound of explosion, only quieter. He threw her across the room, and she twisted midair, landing gracefully on her feet.

"I couldn't even begin to wonder what's happening," Zodia responded, launching a row of flames at Swipe. They emitted a powerful light from the added energy from the Crysti.

The bird pokemon twirled upward, narrowly avoiding the fire, and his wings flashed with a white aura. He flapped powerfully, creating a razor sharp wind. The blades spun quickly, cutting through the air toward their targets.

Kila jumped, used Psycho Cut to break all of the Razor Winds, and sent a few toward Swipe. Then, she twisted in the air and threw more at the other two Gemini. "I think that maybe we're about to find the Wild One."

Luca was about to counter the Psycho Cut with Bone Rush, spinning the aura bone around like a staff, but Kila's words stopped him, as well as Zodia and Swipe. The powerful Psycho Cut hit all three of them, pushing them back just a bit. However, they weren't even fazed by the attack.

I'm not so sure about it." Luca let the bone evaporate as the warm up ended early. "I mean...it _is_ just a legend."

"_We_ were just a legend, though," Zodia said, trying her best to ignore the blinking Crysti. "I remember being just a cub, not able to read, but having my mom tell me the story of the Gemini. I never imagined they were real, but now I am one. We're living proof that these legends aren't just legends. And that means there's a possibility the Wild One is real too."

"You guys know what the legend says," Swipe stated, sitting down beside her fellow Gemini. He was so involved in the topic that he didn't notice his Crysti, nor his teammates', change from a blink to a glow, or that the bottom, left, and right corners were now all glowing. "The Wild One is the only one strong enough to…"

"We know," Luca interrupted, remembering the legend he knew by heart from when he was a Riolu. "The Wild One is the only one strong enough to combat the power of death and bring balance. But let's face it: the four of us are stronger together than the Wild One is alone."

Kila shook her head. "Each of us only have a fourth of the power Xerneas had in total. The Wild One has all of her power."

"So that means all of us together are just as strong as the Wild One." The Swellow translated. "Basically we just need to stick together and we won't even need to find the Wild One."

"_If_ the Wild One exists," Zodia added.

Zen cleared his throat, catching his students' attention. They jumped slightly, not realizing he was listening, or how long he was listening. He left them wondering, asking, "Do you four remember Leone?" They responded with nods, remembering that Zen told them about Leone. "Well during his research, he claimed to have found a way to control death. Now there are others trying to find the Wild One Crysti, trying to find a legend that may not be true, and complete that task."

Luca stepped forward, and as soon as he stepped away from the others, his Crysti began blinking once again. "So what about our Crysti? Have you figured out what this blinking means?"

Zen sighed. "Not yet, but let's train for now. I want you with Kila practicing hand-to-hand, and Swipe: I want you with Zodia practicing special attacks."

They all agreed and paired up with their partner. Zodia shot small fireballs at the Razor Winds, doing well keeping up with Swipe's speed. After a few minutes, they switched, and now he was aiming for her fireballs. Luca and Kila were going much faster, throwing punches and kicks without the use of moves to help them. He punched, she caught his fist and twisted him around, and then he kicked at her face to which she blocked with her other arm.

After a few more minutes, the Lucario folded his hands above his head and swung them at the Gallade. She caught him by the wrists, but he kept pushing down, and when she tried to kick, he stepped on her foot and pinned it to the ground. Since her other foot was being used to keep herself balanced, she could do nothing but try to overpower him. However, when it came down to pure muscle strength, Luca was definitely stronger than Kila. He kept pushing his paws down, his Crysti getting closer to hers. It was long past the point of blinking, and was now glowing intensely, but the two were too focused on battling each other to notice.

When the blue Crysti finally touched the purple one, they flashed brightly, illuminating the room with a white light and temporarily blinding Luca and Kila. Both surprised, they stumbled away from each other, tripping over their feet and falling over, and rubbed their eyes until their sight returned. Zodia and Swipe stopped battling and their attention was drawn to where the flash came from.

"Luca, Kila, what happened?" Zen asked.

"Our...our Crysti," Kila said. She took it off and stared at the blinking light. "They touched...and...it-they just flashed."

Suddenly, Zen thought of something. Luca and Kila faced each other as they remained sitting on their ground, and to the left of them was Swipe with Zodia on his right, and they were facing the two on the ground. Swipe's Crysti and Kila's had the bottom and right corners blinking, and Zodia's and Luca's the left and bottom blinking. It was as if the Crysti were being drawn to each other, showing which direction to go, almost like…

...Like a map.

Zen quickly put his plan into action. "All of you, take off your Crysti. Now, and put them on the ground."

The Gemini did as they were told, wanting to question their teacher, but not because of their curiosity to what he was doing. First, he dragged the purple one to the blue one, telling everyone to close their eyes as he did. They flashed, but stayed together with a bright glow. Next, he brought the red one to the group, and after the flash, the Crysti were glowing bright. Zen had to squint as he brought the last Crysti to the group, and he jumped back as he touched them all together, expecting a bright light to flash.

But the white light died out. Instead, they projected the colors they had into an image in the air. As the image became more clear, it became evident that the Crysti were showing a location, like a map. Everyone was too stunned to speak. They looked at the map from bird's eye view, seeing the castle from the top. But, what really caught their eyes was the distinct white light glowing to a town south of the castle.

Zen recognized the shape of the white light. It was the same as the vision the Future Orb showed him four times before when it led him to the other Crysti. He whispered in disbelief: "The Wild One Crysti."


	4. Chapter 3: Sparks

**Chapter 3**

**Sparks**

Abbie woke up as the sun was setting, and checked the stone to make sure it was forming. After spending the rest of the evening half the night searching for food, Abbie only came out with an herb. She went to sleep hungry, like almost any other night, and woke up in the morning stiff and in a dim light. She stretched her legs, yawned, and got up lazily to check on the evolution stone. Unwrapping the sticky leaves, she saw the Thunderstone completely finished. It didn't have the lightning bolt inside or the perfect shape of a normally seen Thunderstone, but it would do.

Abbie pulled the red bandana off her neck and wrapped it around the finished stone, making sure she didn't touch it because if she did, she would evolve in the wrong place. The Eevee wanted to evolve in a special place: Whispering Waterfall, where the water cascading down the waterfall into the pond below made only a slight noise. Abbie wanted the biggest moment of her life to be right there, atop the small waterfall. She was very excited to evolve, so much that she was walking straight through town in broad daylight instead of hiding in the shadows or taking back roads.

The Eevee casually walked into the village, carrying the bandana proudly in her teeth. She strode through the town like she was a normal, everyday pokemon, yet she took notice of how few pokemon there were at their shops. It was almost as if she was being asked to steal.

There was one pokemon in town who knew Abbie. She was an Azumarill who sold mostly brushes and decorations, so getting food from her wasn't an option. But, whenever she could, the Azumarill managed to get some food from some of her friends in the square and leave them in a package for Abbie.

The Eevee trotted up to the Azumarill and set the bandana down at her paws. "Hello Miss Priscilla."

The water type turned around and smiled. "Hi Abbie. How have you been doing with your evolution stones lately?"

Abbie smiled and put her bandana covered stone on the counter. "I've got a Thunderstone and I'm heading over to Whispering Waterfall to evolve now."

"Oh, a Jolteon, eh?" Priscilla chuckled. "I can imagine you as an electric type, but you shouldn't go over there now. There's…"

"Why? What happened?" Abbie interrupted. She folded her ears back, realizing what she did, and smiled apologetically. "Sorry."

Priscilla let it slid and continued talking as she stocked the shelves behind her. "There's an incident going on with a Pikachu and an Eelektrik. The police are there and everything."

"Wait. What's exactly going on?"

"The Eelektrik is dangling the Pikachu over the waterfall and threatening to drop him. It's just…"

Priscilla turned around to find Abbie was gone, and she had taken her Thunderstone with her.

"...awful."

…

Abbie arrived at Whispering Waterfall to find some Growlithe, Arcanine, Sawk, and Manectric all dressed in police suits. Pokemon from the town gathered at the foot of the waterfall, watching with distress. The water seemed to be screaming rather than whispering, probably because of all the panic and commotion. Abbie looked up, and at the top of the waterfall about fifty feet above her, a Pikachu was dangling over the edge, all four paws being hit by the water. An Eelektrik had the edge of its tail wrapped around the Pikachu's, but he clearly didn't care if the small pokemon fell or not.

She couldn't just stand there and do nothing. Not when someone was in danger. Abbie hid her Thunderstone in the forest and ran to whom she thought was in charge: an Arcanine and Sawk standing off to the side talking with a Pidgeotto. Other pokemon on the police force were negotiating with the Eelektrik or trying to figure out a way to catch the Pikachu if he was dropped.

"What's the situation?" Abbie asked professionally. She looked between the Sawk and the Arcanine with serious eyes. "Well?"

Clearly, the Arcanine was not in charge, since he wouldn't be answering to her if he was. He cleared his throat and spoke, "Uh, right. The Eelektrik said that the Pikachu owed him a Thunderstone but hasn't given it to him. He's threatening to throw the Pikachu off unless he receives what he wants."

"And what are you doing to save the Pikachu?"

The Sawk with the chief badge on his shoulder clearly showed that he was in charge just by the way he talked. "Don't worry. We've just sent one of our messengers to the castle to see if they can send us a Thunderstone or send one of the Gemini to come help. We also have some of our men trying to negotiate with the Eelektrik."

Abbie didn't speak for a moment, waiting to hear what they were actually doing to solve the problem. "Is that it?"

The Sawk put his hands on his hips. "Listen, young lady. We're doing everything we can at the moment so..."

Abbie scoffed. "It takes just under two hours for a pokemon to fly to the castle from here, and that Eelektrik wants a Thunderstone in one hour." She thought of her evolution stone hiding in the bush, and she thought of giving it to him. "And even if you can get him to delay throwing the Pikachu over, he doesn't deserve that Thunderstone."

"Please just let us do our job."

The Eevee growled to herself and walked away, taking matters into her own paws. She looked around, seeing that the police had blocked off the stairs to the top. However, she knew of another entrance on the other side, though it wasn't so much of an entrance as it was a cliff. Abbie made sure no one was watching, then she quickly jumped into the water. She stayed underwater for almost four minutes without even running out of breath, but that was only because she was calm and knew how to save her oxygen when moving.

When she resurfaced, she took a deep breath. No one could see her on the other side, so the police couldn't stop her from doing something. Abbie wadded toward the rock wall and unsheathed her claws. She hooked them onto the stray roots and plants or dug them in the dirt between, and used her back paws to push herself up the cliff.

Suddenly, there was a cry from the crowd of pokemon and the alarmed voices of the police. Her ears pricked at the sound of the Pikachu shouting for help, and she folded her ears back in anger and grit her teeth. Abbie continued climbing. She was not letting that Pikachu get hurt.

The Eelektrik yawned and loosened his tail. "I'm tired of waiting! Where's my Thunderstone?!"

"We've just sent someone to retrieve it," a Manectric said through a megaphone. "Please put the Pikachu down."

"If I don't get my Thunderstone now, I drop him!"

Pokemon down below gasped, and few cried out and yelled. The police did almost nothing but try to persuade the eel pokemon to not drop the Pikachu. With no Thunderstone to give him, he simply let go and the pokemon below cried out.

Suddenly, a brown blur rushed from the other side of the waterfall and tackled the Eelektrik clear across the ground, almost sending him tumbling down the stairs. When everyone focused on the Eevee, they saw her holding onto the Pikachu's tail by her teeth. Her subconscious took over after her heart felt the electricity charging, and she flicked her tail. It coated itself in iron and became a rod for electricity when the Eelektrik released his charge beam. In one swift motion, Abbie planter her tail in the ground, and all of the electricity gave no damage to her or the Pikachu as she pulled the mouse pokemon up. He immediately collapsed to the ground, and she turned to face the Eelektrik.

"I hope you have a Thunderstone for me," he growled, "because I'd hate to have to hurt you."

Abbie chuckled at him. "Oh don't worry, you won't."

He quickly charged up another beam of electricity and shot it at the normal type. She dodged effortlessly, laughing and criticizing his attacks. Again, the Eelektrik shot electricity, and again Abbie dodged them, using more insults to make him angry. The Eevee wasn't worrying about attacking right now, she was having too much fun watching him get frustrated.

The opposing pokemon switched moves, pulling a dangerous liquid from the life source in his chest. Abbie sensed him charging up a powerful Acid attack and formed an idea in her head. She got in a perfect attacking stance and drew out the dark energy in her life source, forming the perfect sphere in front of her. Just as he sent the Acid attack spraying from his mouth, Abbie released Shadow Ball which successfully blocked the poisonous attack and created a wall of smoke.

The Eevee prepared her next attack, digging five feet into the ground within ten seconds. She could feel the slither of her opponent trying to confuse her by moving around. However, she could feel where he was, and burst through the ground, unsheathing her claws and clawing furiously right at the pokemon's face. The Eelektrik screamed in pain but fought back after a few scratches. He twisted his body around Abbie's, pinning her legs to her side.

Abbie felt her tail free from Bind's grip. She chuckled and said, "You should really learn how to properly use your moves."

She quickly coated her tail in iron, smacking the eel's body. The electric type hissed and slipped off the Eevee, giving her a chance to breathe and form a Shadow Ball. Just when the normal type released it, she made sure to kick some dirt into the air so that he couldn't see it coming. Once the smoke cleared, the Eelektrik lay unconscious on the ground.

Abbie slipped under the small Pikachu, hearing him mutter a small "thank you", and lifted him up, carrying him down the stairs where a herd of officers were waiting. They rushed past her while an Audino came up to her, and she put the Pikachu back on the ground, waiting patiently while he was examined for any injuries. All of the other pokemon were told to wait further away, but the Eevee was allowed to be by his side.

She could feel everyone's opinion of her start to change. First, she was known as a thief, but now she was a hero. Whenever she looked over to the crowd, someone was smiling and nodding toward her. Abbie would nod respectfully back and then look back at the Pikachu.

"He seems to be unharmed," the Audino concluded.

As soon as the Audino walked away, everyone flooded in and Abbie stepped back. She smiled and walked back to the bush where she hid her Thunderstone. Suddenly, it didn't seem so important that she evolved, because everyone seemed to change who they saw her as. The Pikachu, small and weak, looked like he could use all the strength he could get.

Abbie waited all morning by the entrance to Whisper Waterfall, taking compliments and appreciations from everyone who passed by. She sat straight up, smiled at everyone, and acted like a lady, which she was sure surprised everyone. With no family to teach her that, she made it important to try to look nice and act polite to everyone. Plus, she wasn't going to hold onto every little thing everyone did.

Finally, the police had taken down everything, arrested the Eelektrik, talked with the Pikachu, and left. It was just him, his sister, and her left at the waterfall. Abbie picked up her bandana and walked casually over to the Pikachu and the Raichu.

"Thank you for saving my brother," the Raichu said, hugging the Eevee's collar in appreciation.

"Thank you," the Pikachu said shyly, smiling halfway.

"No problem. I just wanted to make sure you were safe." Abbie placed her bandana wrapped Thunderstone down. "Did you really owe that Eelektrik a Thunderstone?"

He shook his head. "No. That was a pokemon from my school who's always picking on me."

"Again?" His sister asked. "You've gotta do something about this."

"I know," the Pikachu sighed.

Abbie pulled one end of the bandana up, letting the Thunderstone roll out and toward the two electric types. "You can have it. You need it more than I do."

"Huh?" The Pikachu looked closely at the rock and saw that it was a Thunderstone. "Wait, no. I can't just take this from you."

"I'm giving it to you."

"You've already done so much for me."

Abbie tied her bandana around her neck. "Then take it, and you'll owe me a favor in the future." She stood up and began walking back home. "Does that sound good? Because I'm not taking the Thunderstone back."

The Pikachu thought about it for a minute, and then gave up. "Okay. Thank you." Before she had a chance to leave, he ran up and hugged Abbie. "My name is Colt."

Abbie hugged him back, getting this warm feeling in her heart. She was happy. "My name is Abbie."

When the Pikachu let go, Abbie said goodbye and started running off to the forest.

…

As soon as she stepped in, it felt her presence. She sniffed the air, finding the strong scent of another pokemon nearby. It smelled a bit like a grass type, but mostly fairy type. The orb in her chest lit up, pushing her forward, telling her to follow the scent, and she did. It led her in front of her home, then made her suddenly turn east. She followed the scent along the river, the scent getting stronger with each step, and walked along the side of the river until she reached the same spot she had yesterday, right by a burrow under a tree that was lined with tree leaves.

She began digging, the orb in her chest making her heart beat fast. Something was leading her here to find whatever was under the dirt. Abbie's claw slid against something hard, making an eerie sound. She retracted her claws and pawed at the dirt until her paw touched a white gem. An energy wave traveled through her veins, supplying her muscles with it, and giving her life source ample amounts of power.

She pulled away, surprised at what she felt, but her heart screamed for more. So, she pushed away more dirt until she felt something attached to the gem. It was a brown band, and she gripped her teeth on it carefully so it wouldn't rip, and she gently pulled. Abbie stepped back, feeling the dirt's grip on the band slip away, and within ten seconds it was out of the ground.

She marveled at the beauty of it, despite the dirt and grime stuck on it. Abbie picked it up and brought it to the side of the river. She washed it, scrubbing until it shined, and put it on. The brown band fit perfectly on her puffy cream collar, and the white, four-pointed star fell over her heart, glowing brightly. It hugged her life source, loving who it was with as if it was meant to be. Abbie felt a wonderful power flow through her veins, and, unbeknownst to her, her senses were enhanced.

The Eevee's ears sprung up as soon as she heard a pawstep. A pokemon sprawled across a distance of fifteen feet in two seconds. Abbie aimed Iron Tail to her right, slamming it straight into a pokemon's side, and the Umbreon attacking was flung into the water. A Swellow emerged from the brushes, fast as lightning, and grabbed the brown band around her neck with his talons. He lifted her up in the air, but she unsheathed her claws and scratched his legs. Swipe let go and retreated to the air, not wanting to hurt the Eevee. She felt the air heat up to her left, turned her tail to iron, and quickly blocked Zodia's Flamethrower and let out a fearsome snarl with it. Abbie jumped out of the way of Kila's Psycho Cut and prepared to claw at the approaching dark type, but gave it a second thought when she saw his speed. While she was distracted with him, Luca threw a small Aura Sphere at Abbie, throwing her at the trunk of a tree. She winced at the pain, but easily recovered, landing on her paws. She found herself surrounded by the Gemini and facing Zen. He stopped attacking, and signaled them to do the same.

Somehow, this Eevee was able to fight the five of them off, and they all saw that.

Abbie chuckled tauntingly at the Umbreon. "What? You couldn't handle losing to me so you brought back up?"

"You have something that doesn't belong to you." Zen growled. He carefully stepped closer to her. "And we need it."

Abbie shook her head. "You tell me not to steal, but right now you're trying to steal from me. Way to set an example."

"I tell you not to steal, yet you do it anyway!" The Umbreon was losing patience. His eyes stayed on the Wild One Crysti on the runt's neck.

Zodia stepped between the the snarling Zen and the Eevee. "What you have right there," she gestured to the crystal on Abbie's neck, "is the Wild One Crysti from the legend."

"The Legend of the Wild One?" Abbie questioned, perking her ears up. She was always interested in legends. "I've heard of it, but I only know the Tale of Life and Death. The one with the Gemini."

"Well, the Legend of the Wild One is merely just an extension to that," Kila said, seeing that they were reasoning with the Eevee, "but it says that the Wild One is even more powerful than the four of us. And our Crysti led us to _that_ white gem on your neck. It belongs to the Wild One, the one who was meant to protect life."

Abbie looked down at the white, glowing gem. It hugged tighter on to her life source, as if wanted to stay with her, but she took it off without even noticing. She let the brown band slip over her head, and picked it up, seeing the faint glow die. The Eevee walked to Zodia and gave the Crysti to her, looking Zen dead in the eye. It wasn't the Gemini who had chosen to attack her. They were just listening to their teacher.

"All you had to do...was ask." Abbie nodded in appreciation when the four Gemini gave their thanks and began to walk away. Zen glared at her as he turned, which made her ask, "Zen, do you even know my name?"

"Why would I want to know a thief's name?" He told his student to leave, but they all silently apologized with one look before they did.

"It's Abbie."

He growled, and left as well.

A few days later, Abbie wasn't as hungry as she was before she had saved the Pikachu. Pokemon were now treating her with respect and gathered any extra food they could and gave it to her. Of course, she thanked them by doing any favors she could like delivering items or picking up packages from the mail service. It was sort of like a job, but she was getting food instead of money.

Abbie passed by a wooden post with a sign on it. She noticed the color of the poster, but didn't think much until she read the words. _The Wild One Crysti has been found and a tournament will be held to find out who it was meant for. Training will be held every day for two weeks until the tournament, and all entrees will be staying in the castle during that time. During this time, evolution will be available without restrictions. Anyone who wishes to enter must go to the nearest postal service, fill out an entrance form, and mail it to the castle._

Abbie's heart skipped a beat at seeing the word 'evolution'. Even though she didn't need the evolution, she still wondered what it was like. She knew that Eevee were a special symbol of the kingdom, and that they evolved in a special way, but she wasn't sure what it was. Still, she was curious, and she was eager to show her strength in the tournament.


	5. Chapter 4: The Test

**Chapter 4**

**The Test**

Abbie walked through the castle halls, led by a Ralts as he showed her around. She saw paintings of a bunch of Eevee evolutions, recognizing King Breo and his brother Zen. There was a painting right next to Zen's, but was covered up with a black cloth. She looking curiously at it, seeing a little bit of red through the cloth, but she decided not to question it.

The Ralts stopped in front of the door and opened it. "This will be your room for training. Today, you will be expected to report to the room down the hall to evolve, and you may go to the training room afterward to introduce yourself to the other competitors if you wish. Starting tomorrow, you will be attending training everyday from eight to three for two weeks. If you have any questions just let me know."

Abbie jumped a bit when he teleported away in an instant. Eager to evolve, she closed the door to her room and trotted down the hall, where many pokemon were waiting patiently in line for their turn. She simply shrugged, knowing the line would get longer if she came back later, and took her place behind a water type. To her surprise, though, pokemon were going up to another Ralts as he called their name, so she went up to him, he took her name, and then she went back to her spot to wait.

Breo walked by all the pokemon, seeing a variety of evolved ones, and few unevolved ones. He spotted Cyle and Cecilia near the back and made his way over to his children. "Are you nervous? The test will determine which evolution you get." The question was more directed to Cyle because he wanted to choose his evolution and not have it chosen for him.

Cyle nodded his head, knowing that before he had been a little rash. Eevee were the symbol of Auras Kingdom, and they needed to be treated as such. "A little, but I think I'll get the right evolution."

Cecilia's claws scratched at the stone floor. "I'm nervous. What if I don't get the right evolution?"

The male Eevee nudged his sister and smiled. "You will. You'll be a Leafeon and get to run in the sun all day."

Breo shuffled his paws, becoming uneasy at the idea of the grass evolution, but he put the thought aside. "Just be patient."

Many pokemon waited in the castle, examining everything they could and eating anything that was offered to them. These pokemon usually never had any castle food, because they were all from the other towns and villages. Plus, they were all nervous that about registration for the tournament. Some pokemon still had to evolve, which the king was going to provide for. And then, those pokemon would be shown their room.

That was part of training; each pokemon entering the competition would get their own room so they could attend training earlier, and everyone would eat together. Training was for two weeks with a one hour break every day for lunch. Today would be used for meeting each other and having introduction battles and trying out all the training equipment. Everyone would also be able to meet Breo, Clariana, and the Gemini.

"Abbie."

The female Eevee stood up calmly and started approaching the male Meowstic who was waiting for her. She walked past two Eevee and paused a moment to see who it was. Abbie knew of them, the prince and princess of Auras, but she didn't care enough to know their names. Still, she smiled and nodded, and the princess smiled back, but the prince just stared past her as if he didn't care.

As soon as Abbie was gone, Cece jabbed her elbow into Cyle's ribs. He jumped, but kept in his pained bark. "Why'd you ignore her?" She asked.

Cyle rubbed his side. "Sorry, I didn't see her."

"How could you not see her? She was right in front of…"

"Cyle."

He immediately stood up, not wanting to hear his sister complain, and wished her good luck on her test. He followed a Braixen down the halls he knew so well, and into the room he had been in countless times before. It was a simple square room with lights dimmed low and a machine and monitor against the back wall. The machine was hooked up to a glowing, glass panel in the middle of the room. Several scanners, built like an arm with a blue light at the end, were attached to it as well. Without being told, he walked to the panel and stood up straight and still.

"Nervous?" The fire type asked as she walked to the monitor.

Cyle perked his ears up. "Not really. Whatever I evolve into isn't going to be that bad."

"You know, you aren't the first Eevee to take an evolution test." She typed at the keys with incredible speed, putting in commands.

"I know. I saw her come in before me."

"It wasn't just her. There was another Eevee named Arron. His face was priceless when he realized he couldn't choose his evolution."

The Braixen chuckled, typing away at the monitor and messing with the glass he was standing on. Its color stayed the same, but the brightness intensified. The scanners circled around him with the blue lights racing up and down his fur, examining his level.

Cyle has taken this test before, only not for his evolution. Every couple of months he came in this room to see what his level was. The last time he checked, it was fifteen, but he had been working extra hard since then and was now expecting it to be at least twenty-five, if not higher.

"Okay," the Braixen said, "you can step off now."

As soon as he stepped off the panel, the scanners projected a holographic image of him and his physical measurements. Around the visual Eevee, there were eight symbols, one for each evolution he could become. He looked toward the monitor to see his level: an overall seventeen. His attack was nineteen, his speed eighteen, his defense fifteen, and endurance sixteen. His ears fell back in disappointment and he growled at himself. Only level seventeen? After three months of hard training he only grew two levels?

"You're level is a little low," she said as if she were a doctor and it was no big deal. "Normally, a pokemon your age is a level nineteen, but don't worry about it."

Cyle shook his head, refusing that some stupid machine could properly measure how strong he was. "So how will it choose my evolution?" He asked.

"Whichever one shows the most improvement will be your evolution. You can go up there and touch whichever one you want to see first."

He nodded, trotting up and touching the water droplet. Then, he looked at the 3-D visual to watch. First, the water droplet glowed, changing the Eevee into a Vaporeon. He didn't like the tail or the collar or the rubber-like skin. The final evolution level would be eighteen, which he hoped ruled that out of the options. It made his speed drop, which he thought was his best part until the measurement.

Next was the Flareon: again overall level eighteen. Even though he wouldn't mind the fire type, his defense and endurance were lowered with that evolution. The attack greatly improved, but the overall level was almost unimproved. Jolteon: level nineteen, speed and attack improved. Espeon: level twenty-two, attack improved. Umbreon: level twenty-three, attack, endurance, and speed improved. Leafeon: level twenty, defense and endurance improved. Glaceon: level twenty-one, speed and endurance improved. Sylveon: level twenty, speed and attack improved.

Cyle was disappointed. He sat on the ground with slumped shoulders. His level went up by six at the most, resulting in a level of twenty three out of one-hundred. He looked at the ground, feeling so bad about it.

The Braixen gently nudged the prince's shoulder. "Don't be sad. Everyday pokemon end up becoming around level thirty-five to forty. Auras soldiers are normally just a few above level forty." His face brightened a little, and she said, "I'll come get you tonight when it's time for you to evolve."

Cyle looked at the glass panel with confusion. The Umbreon visual was still there. "Wait. I got an Umbreon?"

The fire type nodded, laughing under her breath. "Yes. Now go to the training room. Some pokemon are already training, so you should catch up with them."

Cyle walked out of the test room with his blue eyes shining and his confidence high. He knew he was strong, so if his level right now was only seventeen, everyone else had to be a lot lower.

When he went into the training room, all the pokemon were gathered around a battlefield, watching a fight and cheering for either side. He thought that maybe he should show everyone how strong he was and take the next battle.

…

The male Meowstic led her into the fourth room down the hall. Inside were several machines that she knew, mostly because of the times she snuck into the library to read books. Her heart was racing, which made her level testing take longer because she couldn't focus. The blue lights that scanned her physical and level measurements were warm, and Abbie was amazed by the technology, as she never saw anything like it.

When she moved from the glowing panel, a 3-D hologram took her place. She marveled at it instead of looking at her levels, and eight more images suddenly flashed around the visual. Abbie back away, but still looked at it. There was a water droplet, a tongue of fire, a bolt of lightning, a glowing pink eye, a crescent moon, a leaf, a chunk of ice, and a pair of fairy wings.

She noticed that the eight images represented Eevee evolutions. "So do I have to pick my evolution now?"

The Meowstic shook his head. "No, you don't get to pick. We have…"

"Why?" Abbie interrupted. She wasn't upset, because honestly she didn't care what evolution she got, but it did seem a little unfair that a pokemon didn't pick their evolution.

"Well Auras Kingdom is represented by Eevee. We use this monitor and that machine to figure out which evolution would provide the most improvement for you, and then the monitor displays your measurements as you are now and gives you a level on a scale of one to one-hundred depending on how strong you are. Then, with each evolution it will give you your improvement. Most pokemon your age are about level eighteen."

Abbie nodded in understanding. She looked at the monitor which displayed her overall level, attack level, defense level, speed level, and endurance level. Her overall level was twenty-three; endurance twenty-three, speed twenty-three, attack twenty-three, and defense twenty-three. Everything was exactly the same, which struck the Meowstic as peculiar.

"That's interesting," he whispered to himself.

Abbie's ears flickered after hearing his words. "Why? What's wrong?"

"It's just that your levels are all the same, which means you either train very well, or you're one special Eevee."

Abbie started with the Flareon. Overall level was twenty-eight with everything improved. Espeon: level twenty-eight, everything improved. Jolteon: level twenty-eight, everything improved. Sylveon: level twenty-eight, everything improved. Umbreon: level twenty-eight, everything improved. Leafeon: level twenty-eight, everything improved. Vaporeon: level twenty-eight, everything improved. Glaceon: level twenty-eight, everything improved.

There was silence for a minute as the two realized that Abbie had no evolution that provided more growth than the others. Whatever she evolved into would result in the same level and everything the same. The Meowstic knew that couldn't be it. Every pokemon that evolves has some disadvantage. He checked the machine to make sure there were no broken wires, then the monitor to make sure it wasn't malfunctioning, and everything was working perfectly.

"So…" Abbie started, breaking the silence. "...what do I get to evolve into?"

"Well, the results of your test, weren't what was expected. You're results were supposed to show that one evolution would be stronger, but they were all exactly the same. And I checked the machines, and they're all in perfect order."

"Does this mean I can't evolve?"

"You can evolve perfectly fine, but this means that whatever you chose won't hold you back from your full potential. You, for some reason, can adapt to change perfectly, and that's not something normal."

"Is it a disease? Am I sick or something?"

"No, but I don't know much about it. You should keep this secret to yourself and choose an evolution."

Abbie thought about it for a long time, knowing that she didn't get a second chance once she evolved. As soon as she decided what she wanted, she left for the training room, and once she got there she found everyone cheering and watching the end of a battle. It was the Arcanine that was winning, and winner stayed. Apparently, he had been winning so much that no one wanted to battle him, except for Abbie, that is.

"Which one of you losers is next?"

"I think I'll try my luck."

A path between the crowd of pokemon cleared out to reveal Abbie. She walked forward with a smile on her face like she was ready to beat his tail off. When she took her place on the field, the crowd of pokemon filled in and waited.

The Arcanine took one look at her and laughed. "I'm six times your size, so why don't you watch the battles instead of competing in them, little Bunnelby.

Everyone in the crowd chuckled a bit, and the Arcanine showed off by holding his head high. Abbie saw his defense down and went for it. Two seconds later, she was in the air swinging her Iron Tail, landing a clean shot to his side, and perfectly landing back on the ground. He stumbled backward, taking in the impact, and Abbie tackled him hard. She rolled back into the perfect stance as he slid at least five feet back.

"Too bad your paws aren't as fast as your mouth." Abbie insulted. A roar of laughter erupted through the crowd, causing the fire type to growl with anger and embarrassment.

"Alright Eevee," He growled. "You want to play that way? We'll play that way."

His body swirled with fire, making him hard to see through the flames. He charged forward with great speed, making the fire spin around him until smaller flames extinguish behind his running paws. Abbie unsheathed her claws and burrowed into the ground within seconds, watching the Arcanine's Flame Charge jump over the entrance that let light into the dark hole. Burn marks were left in the dirt as he skidded to a halt. The fire type turned right around, letting his move break apart, and began to push dirt away from the tiny hole. His over-sized paws fixed the problem and he was soon two feet away from slashing Abbie.

The Eevee continued to dig deeper into the ground, starting to go up back toward air. However, the Arcanine's claw hooked onto the bushy Eevee tail, dragging her back into the dirt before she got above ground. He inhaled, sparking the orb in his chest to form a fire in the back of his throat. Abbie could already tell the pokemon was charging up some sort of attack, so she twisted onto her back and clawed furiously at the red paw. He let go, only to release a deadly Flamethrower into the burrow and watch pieces of his attack burn through the ground a few feet away. Abbie had to have been knocked out by the powerful attack.

The crowd of pokemon watched the floor of the battlefield for two minutes, expecting Abbie to crawl out burned and defeated. But she didn't, and not even a piece of her burnt fur floated out. Nothing. The Arcanine snorted in a hard earned victory, peering into the hole one last time to see Abbie's unconscious body lying in helpless defeat. All the pokemon were disappointed to see the high-spirited Eevee who had such a strong beginning just be defeated.

Dust whipped up into the air after a hard impact sounded through the air, startling all the pokemon. As the sand cleared, the normal type's head peaked through out of the dirt. The fire dog was lying on the dirt after being hit by the Eevee's move. She carefully climbed back onto the battlefield, smiling because she knew the Arcanine had been hit by her unexpected Shadow Ball.

He quickly jumped up, opened his mouth, and let loose a row of flames. Abbie's instincts took over, and she ducked, letting the fire rush over her head and extinguish in the air. Then, she tackled him once more and threw an Iron Tail right at his face. Once recovering, he growled, but slumped to the ground in defeat. He simply pulled himself to the crowd of pokemon and watched in anger and humility as Abbie walked over to the winner's side of the battlefield.

"Anyone wanna battle? I'm looking for a challenge."

"I will." Another Eevee pushed his way through the crowd and onto the battlefield, and everyone recognized him. "I can give you a good challenge."

"You're the prince of Auras," Abbie stated, though she didn't know his name. "My name is Abbie."

He got into his stance and stretched his claws out. "I'm Cyle."

Right away, she saw his weak points. While his long claws did let him swing from far away, his stance was poor and off balance, and his sides were exposed.

She got into her perfect stance. "You can have the first move."

Cyle pulled out half of the energy in his life source to form Shadow Ball, which took a rather long time. Once full, he released it but Abbie made no effort to dodge as it slowly zigzagged its way toward her. She was slightly tempted to walk out of the way, but realized this way would be easier for her. She stood her ground, and the ghost type move passed right through her, giving absolutely no damage. He was startled at the move he worked hard to make. It passed right through her and was destroyed by the ground. How was it possible it had no effect?

Abbie shook her head to blow off the chill Shadow Ball sent down her spine. Then she looked up at Cyle with a raised eyebrow. "You don't know much about types, do you?"

"What do you mean?" Cyle asked, gritting his teeth.

"Ghost type moves have no effect on normal types. And the same the other way around."

Cyle was starting to become aggravated, so he decided to use his next move. He jumped into his fastest run, and Abbie saw him unsheathe his claws just yards before hitting her. He was going to try a combo attack. He would claw at her to try to build up damage, and then finish it with a Tackle. She mentally got ready for his attack. As he bolted forward, she noticed he started running with his right paw, so that was the one he would try to scratch her with first. She noticed his still unguarded sides as well.

Just as she predicted, Cyle made his first swipe with his right paw, and Abbie reacted by moving her head to the left. She backed up as he kept swinging his claws, right, left, right, left. The female began showing off, closing her eyes as she kept dodging flawlessly.

"You're so predictable." She yawned.

"What do you mean by that?" Cyle took another swing and Abbie dodged. "I don't see you attacking."

"Exactly. You expect me to react but I don't. That's precisely the point."

At that moment, instead of moving her head, she ducked down to avoid a double swing and unsheathed her claws. In one swift moment, she knocked him backward with the swipe of her claw and burrowed into the ground. Cyle regained his balance quickly, looking around for the Eevee to come back and attack, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Where'd you go?" He yelled, only making himself sound stupid by asking an opponent to reveal their position.

"C'mon Princy Boy. You've gotta know about more attacks than just the ones you can use, right?"

Abbie burst through the ground under Cyle, smacking her body into his. He flew across the battlefield and hit the ground hard. She then quickly coated her tail in iron and jumped, ready to end it. The male Eevee lay on the ground, still fazed by the Dig attack. The female Eevee flipped mid air and aimed for Cyle's side, just inches away from hitting him. But something stopped her: a Psychic attack. She struggled to move, but only succeeded in going backwards. She was placed on the ground in front of a Braixen and watched Cyle get up heavily.

"Come with me."

The red furred pokemon led them out of the training room, down several hallways which were familiar to Cyle, but unpredictably confusing for Abbie. The prince grew up in these hallways so he should know, but Abbie wasn't raised in some fancy castle. She grew up alone working for her right to evolve. Cyle's eyes grew wide with excitement once they walked outside. They would both evolve here and now, all they needed was to look at the moon.

"Where'd the time go?" Abbie muttered to herself.

"Tilt your head to the moon and look into the center."

Abbie did as she was told, sitting down to get comfortable. Her eyes locked onto the moon's center, and the round white orb could be seen in her eyes. She heard the whistle of the wind as it moved through the trees, her heart beating in her chest as her life source opened to the darkness, and felt the softness of the grass under her paws. The normal energy drained from her life source, evaporating from her body and resulting in a white light coating her body. Her body pulled in all the darkness and moonlight in, forcing it into her life source, filling it up with several types of energy.

Slowly, the cream fur on her neck began pulling together in smooth clumps, like the rest of the fur on her body, and shortened into thin, black strands. They laid smooth against her skin, getting smaller and darker until her fur was midnight black. Slowly, four ovals of fur disappeared on her shoulders and thighs, being replaced by yellow rings. They started glowing with a mysterious light. The same happened on her forehead, only the one there made her feel in control of the others. The fur on her tail folded and shrunk into thin, black strands that made her tail smaller and not as furry. The cream tipped top was replaced by one ring that circled a part near the tip of her tail.

Her bones pushed against each other, stretching and growing and pulling her skin. Her legs lifted her higher off the ground, her body became longer and sleeker, and her head grew to fit the size of her body. The facial features of the evolving pokemon began to take shape, her ears pulling farther back until they were no longer shaped like diamonds. A ring circled around each ear just like the one on her tail. Her snout began to grow longer and bigger, fitting the new size of her head.

The energy dissolved into the air, taking the light with it. Abbie opened her eyes and looked down at herself. Her muscles were more defined, she was higher off the ground, her paws were bigger, her snout was longer. There were so many new things about herself that she couldn't wait to figure out. She would have two weeks for seven hours a day, but she was definitely going to train after the day was over.

Darkness. She could see clearer in the dark, and everything felt like it was day, only it was actually nighttime. The darkness poured into her life source and gave her all the energy she needed for her attacks. The Umbreon could live for days without food if she absorbed all this darkness.

Cyle sighed, not feeling the same way that Abbie did. His evolution wasn't as energizing as he thought it would be. Yeah, he could see in the dark but that was pretty much it. His uncle chose the wrong evolution, and now Cyle was stuck with this one. It was one he didn't even chose, so he couldn't blame himself, and everything that happened to him was usually his fault, but not this time.

Abbie couldn't wait to start training tomorrow.

Cyle was dreading the boring training tomorrow.


	6. Chapter 5: The Water Girl

**Chapter 5**

**The Water Girl**

Abbie had gotten an early start this morning, or last night. She didn't sleep, spending the entire nighttime outside practicing her moves just for today's training. The Umbreon wasn't tired at all, she got all the energy she needed from the moonlight and darkness. In her eyes, all of the dark stuff was amazing and made her mind wonder how she turned it into energy.

The dark type's ears perked up, and she turned around to see another, older Umbreon walk in with a Gallade, Swellow, Lucario, and Ninetails behind him. However, this time someone else followed behind: a female ice type pokemon wearing a tiara on her head. It was a Glaceon, better known as the queen, or Queen Clariana, her official title. Quickly, all the pokemon noticed and bowed respectfully for the queen, including Abbie who knew her high place in the kingdom. Since the only female Umbreon was separated from the rest of them, Queen Clariana noticed her alone. Abbie bowed her head in respect, since the queen was the only royal who didn't know her yet. Clariana bowed her head back at her.

"Attention everyone!" Zen called. Since everyone was already gathered and quiet, it didn't take long to start. Abbie sat right in front, watching his every move. "Thank you. As you know, this is King Breo and Queen Clariana who are here to see your training. I am Zen, and these are the Gemini."

An applause was sent over the crowd of pokemon, which only took a couple of seconds to quiet down because the queen was in the room. Abbie was quiet the whole time and kept her ears perked up for any noises that were to come. As it went on, the four Gemini introduced themselves.

Sunlight entered through the window and dawned on Cyle's face, piercing through his eyelids. He groaned and rolled over onto his stomach, using his paws to cover his eyes. It surprised him a little when his paws hurt his head instead of just poking him like they normally did, but then when he pulled himself to sit, he saw the black fur covering his three foot tall body. Cyle groaned and dragged himself to the window, checking the sun for the time. The Umbreon jumped in panic, realizing he was late for training.

He quickly ran over to the fountain in his room and dipped his head into the water, scrubbing his face with his paws regardless that they were bigger than before. When his head came up, he barely dried his face on the expensive towel made from Flaffy wool, too busy with finding his necklace he promised King Breo he would wear on the first day of training. After finding it and looking in the mirror to put it on properly, he darted out of his room, slamming the door shut.

The dark type started darting down several hallways, his face drenched and dripping water everywhere. He took one secret passageway that only he knew about, cutting the travel time to the training room in half. The main door was slightly open, and being an Umbreon he should be able to sneak in without being noticed. The dark type rolled his shoulders and stretched his claws, cracking them so he could move without them making noises. He peered inside, but his bands of light were glowing and made it hard not to attract attention. All the pokemon's backs were facing him, and the Gemini were in there along with Zen and the King. It looked like they hadn't started yet, but Zen was introducing everyone to his students.

A loud slam against the wall caught everyone's attention. Looking behind them, there was another Umbreon, lying face down on the ground. His legs were sprawled onto the floor as well, a symbol of his clumsiness. The door was wide open. Cyle rubbed the back of his head and lifted himself up onto his huge paws. He felt awkward being this big, and the stares of everyone weren't helping either.

"It was nice of you to join us Cyle." Zen said sarcastically. "C'mon, up front where I can see you."

Cyle groaned as everyone laughed, and walked in front of the pack of pokemon, grumpily and unknowingly sitting down next to Abbie. The female raised her eyebrow, but went back to paying attention to the lesson in today's training for the tournament.

"As I was saying," Zen cleared his throat. "Thank you all for volunteering for the Crysti Tournament. As you know, a few days ago it was told that the fifth Gemini will be revealed to everyone. The competition wil be held two weeks from today and training will prepare you to face the harshness of the tournament."

Zen gave the stage to Swipe, who immediately flew into the air to show off his speed. Swipe announced that he was going to work with them on speed today, making sure that they could run fast, or fly for there were flying types entering as well. He needed to make them all about ten percent faster than they were right now and do that by the end of the day. Luca, Zodia, and Kila were going to help him too by explaining to the pokemon how to run properly.

Training started right away. Everyone was led outside to run around the castle once. If they really needed it, they were allowed to have two one-minute rests, but they would still have to finish the lap. Pokemon who finished were permitted to go inside for a break. Everyone thought it wouldn't take that long, but they didn't take the size of the castle into consideration. To make it fun, it was going to be a competition. Whoever finished first would get the special apples picked from a special tree which only grew in one area. Everyone liked the idea of getting those apples so they all got in place, including Abbie. She heard that they were very good for you and easier to eat. Plus, she was kind of liking this castle food.

Being Umbreon, both Cyle and Abbie were near the front, but some other pokemon were ahead of both of them, including that Arcanine. The bird pokemon who were naturally faster when they flew were ahead of all of them by about fifty yards, only going faster by pulling their feathers closer together. It was an unfair advantage, but they had no choice but to suck it up and try to win. Cyle knew he would win in the end, but he was running as fast as he could to get this over with and eat some apples.

Cyle looked behind him, seeing all the shorter pokemon way behind them and only fading away as he ran faster. His paws darted along the ground fast, making his breath short right away, but he didn't stop running. The way Cyle moved his paws left claw marks on the ground because he wasn't used to having to keep bigger claws in all the time. Slowly, he passed one pokemon, but then another passed him as well. He was too focused on running to recognize, so he took a quick look and that was all he needed.

Abbie ran different than a normal Umbreon would. Her back was straight and her head was high, taking weight off her legs. It made her faster, but she was only running half as fast as she could, right beside the other Umbreon. Cyle looked at her longer than he should have, missing a turn around the castle.

He fumbled, his back legs slipping under him. He immediately pulled them right back up and turned around the corner of the castle, his feet moving as fast as they would let him. The male Umbreon quickly caught up with the other one, who was still half trying. She smirked at Cyle, flashing her brightly colored rings and ran a little faster, keeping a steady pace.

"You know what I think?" Abbie asked.

"What?" Cyle asked back, really starting to get tired of this girl.

"You think that you're stronger than you actually are." Even while talking, Abbie wasn't running out of breath. Her legs, however, were getting a little tired. "You have all these resources, yet I had nothing and I'm better, faster, and stronger than you."

"You're definitely not better than me, and you haven't even proven to be faster or stronger," Cyle shot back. He looked ahead, his breathing heavy. "Looks like I'm not the only one who's going to beat you."

Cecelia's paws beat against the ground in tune with her heartbeat, sweat dripping off of her in little droplets. As her blue paws swept across the ground, splashing in the over-watered grass, she smiled in success as passing yet another pokemon. She noticed something, not her brother, but the other pokemon like him. The black shadow came running up, the yellow rings glowing with excitement. The blue pokemon smiled in a friendly manner, still running and breathing hard.

"You must be Cyle's sister," Abbie assumed. She looked at the Vaporeon's rubbery tail, assuming the water type was having a hard time dragging her tail. "It's Cecilia, right?"

"My friends just call me Cece."

"Abbie," the dark type introduced.

Cyle caught up with his sister and the other girl, clearly annoyed by the third turn they took that made him fall behind again. He was going to win this competition and eat all those apples himself. He forced his tired and aching paws to go faster, finally able to catch up with the two girls in front of him. He wouldn't care if Cece beat him, but that Umbreon is all he really cared about. Beating her would give him bragging rights for life after she told him she was better than him.

"Am I interrupting?" Cyle innocently asked, breathing hard. He went ahead of them just a bit to show off how fast he was.

"Actually," Cece started.

"We were just talking about how the flag is right there." Abbie finished, tossing her head forward.

The red flag was right there, only about one hundred yards away, swinging in the steady wind. Zen and Luca were standing right beside it, just waiting to see who would win. Abbie and Cecelia pushed ahead, leaving Cyle behind. They raced, neck and neck, smiling at each other. The flag became closer and closer, until it was about two yards away. They both jumped.

Abbie slammed hard onto her shoulder, clenching her teeth tightly to hold onto the fabric in her mouth. She let out a small whine of pain, feeling a small drop of water roll onto her cheek. The Umbreon rolled and rolled, finally pushing her feet at the right time to slide to a halt. Gasping for breath through her nostrils, she collapsed on the ground, her throat feeling squeezed because of pushing herself.

Cece quickly wrenched her teeth straight through something soft, tasting the awful fabric in her mouth. She didn't dare let go, only falling as something else dragged her. She quickly pitched her legs straight onto the ground, not falling back over again. Cece saw the dark figure on its feet too.

The Umbreon and Vaporeon, both having gained their balance, looked forward to see who was tugging on the other end of the red flag. They met eyes, smiling, and laughing when they realized they both won. Cyle slowed down once he saw them laughing by the finish line, knowing he had already lost. The male slumped down to a sitting position, growling to himself.

Zen hugged his niece, congratulating her on winning. He approached Abbie, clueless as to who she was, and held out his paw. "Congratulations. Winning the first competition in training gives you recognition. What is your name?"

Abbie shook his paw and smiled nicely, not holding a grudge against him at all. "I'm Abbie."

Zen's ears perked up, and the fur on his spine rose. He knew that name from the Eevee runt in Wisp Town. She had told him just before he left, from the last time he saw her. Now, it would only make sense that she wanted the Wild One Crysti back.

He bore his teeth and ripped his paw away from hers. "If you steal anything…"

Abbie yawned just to annoy Zen. He growled at her as he went to his niece, talking with her. It was the first time he had seen her since she evolved, and he said she was just as beautiful as her mother. She and Abbie were dismissed for lunch, and Cecilia immediately went to her friend.

"What was that about?" She asked.

Abbie sighed. "When I was a cub my parents abandoned me in a forest near Wisp Town. No one gave me a chance so I had to steal my food, but your uncle almost always stopped me, and he only thinks of me as a thief."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Why are you sorry?"

"Well it sounds like you had a pretty tough life, and if you don't win this tournament you'll have to go back. If I was in your position I would've done the same thing."

Abbie smiled. "Thanks."

Just hearing Cece sound sorry for her made Abbie get a special feeling in her heart. She made a friend, and that was the best present she could ever get. Not knowing she stopped, Abbie skipped to keep up with her friend.

Upon arriving in the dining hall, a huge pile of apples were waiting for both the Umbreon and Vaporeon. Originally, they were both going to split them, but there were far more than they could ever eat, so the girls decided to give one to everyone as they came in.

Abbie was happy to have met the water girl. They got along so easily, as if they were sisters.


	7. Chapter 6: Fighting Style

Chapter 6

Fighting Style

The blue paws shook the black furred body back and forth, trying to wake up the pokemon who was sleeping. Abbie never really got tired, but sleeping when it was dark outside had its perks. Cecilia shook the dark type again, trying to make her get up and watch the sunrise. Laughing at the Vaporeon, the Umbreon got up and realized how early in the morning it was.

"The sun hasn't even risen yet!" Abbie exclaimed, soaking in the darkness coming through the window. She lit up the rings on her body to give off some light. "Why did you wake me up so early?"

"C'mon, you need to watch the sunrise." Cece grabbed onto Abbie's ear and pulled the dark type forward. "It's really beautiful from the garden."

"I've seen the sunrise before, Cece." Abbie complained, pulling her ear away from the water type. "It's not that great."

"You just haven't seen it from the castle. Trust me, you'll love it."

Abbie didn't want to, but knowing Cecilia's stubbornness, she went along, hoping that she would enjoy it. The Umbreon never liked watching the sunrise back home; it just reminded her it would be another hard day of survival.

The Vaporeon couldn't wait to get her friend out into the garden. It was very beautiful with all the floral statues of pokemon everywhere. And there were many types of flowers which really made them look like pokemon. It was Cecilia's favorite place in the castle, and she longed to evolve into Leafeon, but it wasn't an option for her. Everyone would get very suspicious if the Eevee she once was evolved into a pokemon she wasn't even close to being like. Everyone saw Leafeon as evil.

As both pokemon pushed the back doors open, they saw shadows casting over the ground. Small slips of sunlight started pouring over the mountains in the distance, so Cece led her friend over to the giant sundial in the middle of the flower field. Twelve clear, multicolored gems were set in a circle around the two pokemon, all of them equal length apart. One was set right in the middle. Abbie and Cecilia stood over the glass which protected the ticking clock. The sunlight got closer and closer to the crystal carved with the number twelve in it, and the clock ticked closer to seven a.m.

One strip of sunlight touched the top gem just as the second and minute hand pointed toward the sun. The sunlight bent through the gem and bounced to the rest of the eleven forming a circle of blue, red, yellow, purple, pink, and white colored light. Finally, one strand of each color shot to the gem in the middle, sending a beam of multicolored light up through the air and into the sky. Abbie marveled at the beauty of it, placing one paw through the single beam of light. A dazzling warmth filled her body which sent adrenaline through her blood. She felt strength fill her and it was amazing. Even after taking her paw out she could still feel the magnificence.

Cece looked at the smiling Umbreon. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Abbie snapped her eyes open, coming out of her trance. She looked at the water type. "Yeah."

"Have you ever tried a berry tart before?"

"Maybe once when I snagged one from a store, but I wouldn't remember the taste."

"Well c'mon. We'll go to the hall and split one."

Cyle, who had awakened late the previous morning, had someone wake him up this time. The Ralts came in, unable to wake up the prince, so he had to drop water on him to get him up. He teleported away the second Cyle pulled his eyes open and jumped out of his bed, gasping in surprise. Groaning and realizing he had to get up now, the male Umbreon got a towel and wiped his face off. He didn't want to get up, but if he didn't attend training every day this week, he wouldn't get to have a chance to become a Gemini.

Able to slow down and eat breakfast, Cyle stopped by the dining hall and ate an Oran berry tart. He saw his sister and the other Umbreon enter together around seven thirty and shared the same thing he ate. He guessed that since he was distracted with his loss yesterday that he ate an entire tart that he usually shared with Cece. Even though it was only once, he missed sharing something with his sister. Ever since she evolved, she had been kind of distant.

After breakfast, all the pokemon were gathered into the training room to be taught by Luca, the fighting master. He was going to teach everyone about battling. Apparently, there were strategies that one needed to know in order to have the upper hand in battle. Abbie didn't know there were "strategies", just attacking, defending, and dodging. But, there were some things in Luca's introduction speech that she could use in her own fights.

"...take your opponent's weakness and make him suffer for it."

"...find his greatest strength and use it against him."

"...unbalance your opponent."

Zen thanked Luca and turned back to face everyone. "Now, I want you all to find a partner and start battling. Use whatever moves you have. The Gemini and I will be coming around to help you all."

Cecilia and Abbie paired together while Cyle went up against the Arcanine Abbie had fought against two days ago. They all fought, and each Gemini came by and helped them, including Zen. He eyed Abbie and moved on, so she assumed he didn't care, but the other Gemini didn't give her any advice, especially when Cece froze the field and Abbie used it to make her moves faster. They both put up a great fight, but it ended when the Umbreon's Shadow Ball ended up blasting all the frozen water everywhere, badly scratching a couple of pokemon.

Training that day ended with everyone eating lunch and Zen gave the pokemon the responsibility of joining the Gemini outside on their own for more training. Of course nobody went outside, wanting to explore more parts of the castle. Abbie would've, but she was told not to train for a couple of hours to avoid further injury. The dark type didn't want to hurt herself anymore, so she ended up going to her room.

Cyle was doing well against the Arcanine battling his own way, but every single one of the Gemini was helping him with his paw positioning and running. He didn't want their help but sucked it up when he ran faster because of their tips. Zen, his uncle, slipped by him, pretending to move his paws into the right position, but whispered something in the Umbreon's ear and moved along. Cyle forced back a smile and continued battling.

Well, up until something slashed into his side and blew him against the wall within seconds. He fell to the floor immediately, more shards of ice digging into his side. The Arcanine immediately breathed out a small shower of flames, melting the ice into water. The cold liquid soothed the stinging from the gashes indented in the pokemon's side. Cyle was immediately taken to have his injuries attended to along with other pokemon who were blasted with ice.

Abbie, Cecilia, and Cyle were the ones with the more serious injuries, but they weren't too bad. Cece ended up with bandages on her ears, back, and tail when she defended her face and stomach by curling into a ball. Cyle had one of his sides treated because he happened to be right next to the two battling. Abbie's legs and paws were wrapped in bandages.

The three ended up just going in their own rooms to rest, but none of them actually fell asleep. Abbie and Cyle couldn't even hope to because of the darkness in their orbs forcing them to stay up. After all, they had just evolved. The female Umbreon snuck out of her room and went over to Cece's, creaking the Vaporeon's door open to see if she was awake.

The water type stood in front of a mirror, admiring her own reflection. Abbie blended with the shadows and snuck in without Cece knowing. Looking closer into the mirror, the water type wasn't looking at herself but a necklace. It was pure gold and lightweight, decorated with a silver locket outlined in more gold. Cecilia often smiled at herself and stared into her own eyes, seeing so much familiarity.

Cece closed her eyes. _"It won't be long now."_ She thought to herself, lying on her paws. _"I can't believe it's already been a year."_

Abbie snuck out from the shadows. "What is that?" She asked, pointing to the gold chain in the mirror.

Cece jumped to her paws in surprise, calming down once she saw it was only Abbie. "You scared me."

Abbie didn't care, she wanted the answer. "Where'd you get that necklace?" She asked again.

Cecilia looked down her neck. "Oh, that's my charm. I keep it as a memory."

"A memory of what?"

Cece didn't answer the Umbreon's last question. She couldn't bring herself to tell Abbie the truth. She had to come up with a believable answer, one that the pokemon in front of her would buy. The Vaporeon didn't want her friend to know, it would cause suspicion.

"Oh, I got it from my mom."

"Queen Clariana?"

"Yeah, same pokemon."

Abbie smiled and started walking out the door, hearing Cece sigh heavily. "Why don't you ever wear it? Are you afraid it's going to break?"

Straightening up because Abbie was still in the room, Cece answered quickly, "No, it actually can't break. Not even the chain."

Abbie smiled at her friend. "Okay, I'll see you later."

"See you."

Once the Umbreon left, Cece was relieved. She liked her friend, but the necklace could've been used against her. The water type sighed and let the necklace fall over her ears and onto the carpet. She examined the small wing indented in the silver locket. It reminded her of home.

…

Nightfall came quickly, and all pokemon went to their own rooms to sleep until tomorrow morning. Not a sound was heard except the snoring and mumbling of certain pokemon. Everything was silent for a long time. However, silence wasn't heard for three pokemon. The Umbreon heard every single sound from a creaky window to water dripping into a fountain of water. Two of them weren't bothered by it, but one was.

Abbie twisted and turned, finally finding herself staring up at the ceiling above her. Her body wouldn't let her sleep at all. Something inside of her was screaming for her to get up, but she didn't want to. Her legs were sore from being blasted by ice. The one cut on her thigh stung worse than the other hundred cuts along her legs and paws. The Umbreon used her paws to cover her ears so she would stop hearing the sounds, but she couldn't.

Zen walked briskly down the hall, finding Cyle's bedroom door slightly open and the blue eyed Umbreon waiting inside. He found it amazing that Cyle had inherited the blue eyes that his father had, instead of the red ones his grandmother had. Yet, he wasn't perfect. If Zen knew about imperfect pokemon, he would use that word to describe Cyle. His moves were sloppy, but his father was too worried to help him.

Breo worried that the kingdom would fall. Worried that the one who could save them, might end up destroying them. Everything seemed dark and gray, but no one else knew that. They thought agreements with the other kingdoms were being made as they slept peacefully. They didn't even know about the secret weapon.

Cyle had been awake all night, waiting for his uncle to come and get him for some late night Umbreon training. He was glad that no one else was coming but him. Still, the young pokemon mind didn't know what powers a dark type contained, and he was insisting that it was horrible. Maybe if he trained with another Umbreon he would be able to understand.

"Are you ready?" Zen asked, creeping through the slightly open door. It creaked, but he was sure no one heard it.

Cyle straightened up. "I was born ready." He stated, getting a chuckle from Zen.

"Alright." He led Cyle out the door and closed it with a quiet thud. "We'll be training in the garden maze."

Abbie heard a sharp creaky noise come from outside her room. She couldn't help her curiosity and jumped to figure out what made that noise. Once the black furred head peaked through the door, her whole body dimmed into no light. Further along the hall, several rings were glowing far too brightly. The female immediately knew what, or who, it was.

Listening closely, she heard the word 'training' and 'garden' followed by faint footsteps heading in the opposite direction. The Umbreon waited about ten minutes before following herself. She couldn't take the risk of letting Cyle find out she was following him, and she knew where they were going so it didn't really matter when she decided to follow. She silently closed her door and darted down the path Cecilia showed her that morning.

Abbie arrived at the garden in less than five minutes, wondering what part the male Umbreon was training in. She stopped to think about it though. He wasn't training himself, there had to be another pokemon. She knew that Cyle was very bad at training, and she remembered seeing Zen helping his nephew a lot. The one who hated Abbie was with him, and, in fact, it was probably his idea. It wasn't fair to the others that Cyle was getting special training, so she had to make it fair.

A bright, red light started shone in the distance, ready for another pokemon to find it. Normally, Abbie wouldn't have been able to see it as an Eevee, but she was an Umbreon now, and she could control her powers as a dark type freely without any help, unlike Cyle. She could see his bright rings glowing through the high bush maze down the hillside.

Zen lead Cyle down the steep hill where flowers were planted for better watering purposes. When they reached the bottom, the flowers formed a picture of an Eevee, and Cyle awed at the skills of the planters who made it. The older Umbreon pulled him toward the garden maze made with walls of Bitterroot bushes. If Cyle even tried to push his way through the bush, the small vines and roots of the trees would wrap around his body. The maze was built that way so that pokemon who tried to find the flag hidden inside wouldn't cheat.

"So how do you like being an Umbreon?" Zen asked.

"Don't like it too much." He answered, shuffling his paws on the ground. "I can't really do anything as a dark type."

Zen chuckled, remembering that he felt that way when he evolved. "A dark type is probably the best pokemon type. Why don't you like it?"

"Well," Cyle dragged the word on, tapping the yellow band on his forehead, "for one I don't know how to turn off these things."

Again, the older dark type laughed. "That one on your head is connected to your mind. Just imagine them getting darker."

Cyle did what his uncle said, closing his eyes and imagining the space around him growing dimmer. Zen unstrained his eyes as the light around him disappeared completely. He had been waiting for a few days to see when Cyle would dim his rings, but just found out Cyle didn't know how. Once the young Umbreon opened his eyes, he was surprised at how dark it was.

"Wow, I didn't know it was that easy." He laughed, scratching the back of his neck. "What else can I do?"

Zen rolled his eyes at the young cub's curiosity. "Well, your first training exercise will be to find the glowing flag in that maze." He pointed his paw toward the dark hallway that led to a passage of mystery.

Cyle was shocked. "Wait! You want me to go in that maze?! That dark maze!"

"Yes, and no lights. Being a dark type lets you see in the dark so don't use your rings. Just rely on your eyes."

"I'm not so sure I want to do this."

"You want to be the fifth Gemini, don't you?"

"Yeah, but not if I get caught in the bushes."

"Just go in. If you get lost I'll help you."

Cyle sighed and walked into the dark maze, the bands on his body completely hidden in his black fur. He couldn't see a thing and something in his head made him pretty sure that there were wild pokemon hiding in the maze. As he ventured further in, he could feel the cold night wind brush past him with great ease.

But, the thought of becoming a Gemini, the strongest pokemon in existence, kept him going. He knew he was strong, strong enough to win this tournament, and he needed to prove that to everyone else. Especially Abbie, who thought that he was just some spoiled and weak prince.

The Umbreon realized that he was farther in than expected, and he didn't notice the turns he took along the way. Determined, he continued on his way. The sounds of a Hoothoot chirped in his ears and made him jump several times, but he kept going. His eyes picked up something in the distance: a red light. It came closer and closer, getting bigger. He could see it through the Bitterroot bush twigs holding their leaves in place.

A surprised gasp escaped his mouth as the red light whizzed past him. Something rushed past his side and knocked him over, and Cyle scooted closer to the maze wall. He let out a small scream when the wet vines started quickly wrapping around his paws. The Umbreon's claws unsheathed, and he scratched the vines apart and went to the safety of the middle of the passageway. His heartbeats were quick and unsteady, pushing some adrenaline through his veins.

"Cyle!" Zen's voice sounded. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." He shouted back. "I'm fine. It was just a wild pokemon."

"Do you want to come back?"

"No. I'm going to keep going for the flag."

Abbie chuckled under her breath and trudged forward, seeing the dimly lit lights on Zen's forehead and shoulders. As soon as she stepped into his view, he instantly recognized her red eyes, as they were once brown, and not her scent. She always smelled like forest back in Wisp Town, but today she smelled like castle. She dropped the flag in front of him

Zen growled lowly and got into an attacking stance. "You can't be here! Go back to the castle!"

Abbie dug her front paws defiantly into the ground and sat down. "Who says I have to?"

Zen walked closer to her, staring coldly into her brown eyes with his own. "I do! This is training for Cyle, not you!"

The female chuckled. "Why are you training Cyle separately from everyone else? That doesn't seem too fair to everyone else. King Breo certainly couldn't let him enter if he found out, even if Cyle is his son."

Zen had walked so close to Abbie that she was inches from his face, feeling the heat of his breath. His eyes were glaring hardly at her, trying to intimidate her. She wasn't scared, though, she was smirking at him. The female was right, and Zen knew it, so he back away.

Cyle had been trotting around in the maze for a while now, trying to find the glow of the flag. He had to constantly focus his eyes to continue seeing in the dark, but faintly in the distance he could see the glow of the red flag. He began running, taking turns and getting closer to the flag, its glow getting brighter until he was standing in front of the intense yellow glow from an Umbreon.

He stood, looking at Abbie who was sitting calmly while his uncle's rings glowed brightly with anger. "What are you doing here?" He asked with a hint of a annoyance in his voice.

"I heard you two coming out here and thought that it wa rather unfair that you received special training and none of the other pokemon did."

"So what?" Cyle felt nervous Butterfree build up in his stomach. "You're just going to tell my dad and get me kicked out of the tournament?"

"I honestly don't care what you do, Cyle. I'm tired of him," Abbie said, pointing a paw at Zen. "You seem to have a problem with me, so why don't you just settle it with a battle?"

"I only have a problem with you because you steal and there is no doubt in my mind that the only reason you're here is to steal something bigger," He growled, inches away from her face. "But I'd love a battle."

Suddenly, a Shadow Ball was launched close range form his mouth. It exploded half a second later, sending dark clouds of smoke out and covering Abbie. Cyle jumped back, surprised at the sudden attack, and Zen glided to the side in case Abbie had a recoil attack. There was silence for a few second as the smoke cleared, and the young, female Umbreon was nowhere to be seen. Zen lit up his rings, illuminating all sides around him. He was able to catch a glimpse of a moving shadow from his side, but by then it was too late.

Abbie's tail, hard as iron, slammed directly into his ribs, throwing him a clear ten feet away. However, he easily twisted and landed on all four paws, sliding back against the ground as he did. Zen stood for a second, shocked that she had moved so quickly and was faster than his senses.

"All I wanted was an apple! I was hungry!"

He jumped into the air, twisting around to hit the female with his tail. She jumped left, letting the Iron Tail hit the ground, and charged toward the recovering Zen. She stepped on his paw, preventing him from flying away as she tackled his side, and kicked his back legs down. With him trying to stand, she flipped backwards and launched a Shadow Ball upon her landing. Zen reacted quickly, pulling his legs back up and jumping into the air.

Abbie jumped, Iron Tail at the ready, and Zen quickly readied himself and twisted, his Iron Tail hitting another. They stayed suspended in the air until Zen pulled the same trick, launching Shadow Ball at close aim. The female dark type was thrown back, landing on her paws and clearing her eyes. The male dark type took his chance and ran forward as soon as he landed.

Zen growled, "You stole an expensive necklace! Explain to me how that is 'hungry'!"

She was ready faster than he imagined, and ran at him. He suddenly disappeared, and Abbie slid to a halt. She perked her ears up and listened, hearing small, separated sounds of paws on the ground. Zen was fast, his steps coming from her left, and then her right after just one second.

In the beginning, Cyle thought that his uncle would win the battle without taking one hit, but Abbie was far stronger than he thought. She had already hit him once, and his uncle hadn't managed to cause any damage. Maybe her and Cyle had gotten off on the wrong paw, but she still aggravated him.

Zen appeared to her left, jumping and tackling her with his full bodyweight. She felt the hard impact on her side and was sent tumbling into the grass. Before she even got a chance to get up, a dark orb hit her directly on her shoulder, throwing her up into the air. She landed on her back, and Zen quickly pinned her down.

"You can't explain, can you?" Zen asked rhetorically, baring his teeth. "It's because you're a thief!"

Abbie saw the Shadow Ball forming inches from her face. "It was an accident!"

A sudden power flooded her veins. Without warning, she pulled her back paws up and kicked his stomach hard, sending him straight into the air. Her speed was astounding, and she was on her paws almost as fast as she kicked Zen. She sprung into the air right after him, slowing down as she got close. Then, Abbie flipped and slammed her Iron Tail down.

The ground rushed at Zen, smashing into his body like a fighting type move. The force of his fall created a small hole in the ground. One second, he had the female Umbreon pinned down, and now his body was in pain. She had moved with such speed that he didn't even see her, and he could still feel her Iron Tail hitting his shoulder.

Abbie landed on the ground with ease, still and silent. She breathed gently, looking down at her paws. It all happened so fast. How did she move that fast? She saw the Shadow Ball in front of her, and then something came over her. Her Iron Tail was way more powerful than she remember, and when it hit…

Abbie's ears shot up. "Zen!"

She ran to the hole in the ground, seeing him lying on his stomach. He didn't move, but his breaths were even. She ran to Zen, checking to see if anything was broken. He winced in pain, and groaned when she pressed his left shoulder. It was badly bruised, but it couldn't have been broken if he didn't yelp or scream when she pressed it.

"Zen I am so sorry," She apologized.

"I'm fine," he said.

His shoulder throbbed in pain as he struggled to his feet, and when he put pressure on his left leg, the muscles in his shoulder pressed painfully together. It gave out instantly, and before he hit the ground, Abbie slid under him. He fell on her soft fur, limply lying on her back.

Abbie called to the third Umbreon. "Cyle!"

As soon as he heard the impact, Cyle's eyes were glued on Abbie. The power she displayed was sudden and very much like what he saw the Gemini do. Then, he was staring into space when she ran to the hole in the ground. He didn't know what was happening, but when Abbie called his name, her voice filled with worry, he ran to her. He saw his uncle with a badly bruised shoulder lying on her back, motionless.

"Did you do this?" He asked.

"It was an accident," Abbie admitted. "But right now you need to go get someone from the castle! Now!"

Cyle nodded and ran ahead, and Abbie followed behind, gently carrying the injured Zen. She didn't know how she had that much strength, since Zen had always beat her before. It was the second she saw his Shadow Ball about to hit her that the power rushed through her veins. What just happened was very strange, but Abbie put it aside and focused on helping Zen, since she was the one that caused his injury.

"I'm so sorry," Abbie apologized again, careful to how she walked. "You're stronger than I am, we both know that. I-I don't know what happened, but I'm sorry."

Zen heard her last apology before he drifted into unconsciousness.


	8. Chapter 7: Learning to Work Together

Chapter 7

Learning to Work Together

Last night, Cyle was back with the castle nurses in less than two minutes. They immediately took Zen back to the castle infirmary. They addressed his wounds, saying that he would be fine. Still, Abbie waited outside the infirmary until night stretched to dawn, and dawn stretched to morning. Deep in the back of her mind, she knew that she was getting in trouble for this, but all that she could think about was if Zen was okay. Training would begin in one hour, with or without him, but the young Umbreon still waited.

She wasn't tired or hungry; the darkness gave her everything she needed for that night. All she needed was to make sure she ate by lunchtime. However, she wasn't sure if she would be able to eat with how confused she felt. Last night, her speed and power jumped suddenly. The Iron Tail Abbie hit Zen with such force that the impact created a hole in the ground. Only a pokemon with years and years of professional training could do that, and all she had was three years of self training in a forest. Where did all that power come from?

Abbie quickly stood as soon as the infirmary door opened. Cyle came out first, and then Zen. He walked with pride, as he always did, but with a slight limp. There was a blue splint on his shoulder, but other than that he seemed to be fine. He glared at Abbie and her ears fell back.

An Audino followed Zne out of the room, closing the door. "You've only got a sprain, Zen." She said sweetly, looking at the papers on her clipboard. "It should heal given a few days. Next time make sure the harness is secure before trying to climb up the rock wall."

Zen half-smiled and chuckled. "Thank you. I'll remember that."

As soon as she was gone, Abbie raised an eyebrow. "You didn't tell her it was me?"

"Truth be told I expected you to be gone by this morning," he growled. "So you can either leave by choice or you can be kicked out."

Now Abbie was glaring at him, gritting her teeth. She couldn't believe how Zen was treating her. Sure, she had hurt him pretty bad, but it was an accident. And after seeing how strong she was, she thought that he would think she had the potential to be the Wild One.

"I've said I'm sorry dozens of times, but I will say it again: I. Am. Sorry. It was an accident, but you can't make me leave."

Zen came really close to her, inches from her face, and growled. "Oh really?"

Abbie chuckled. "If you tell Breo that I was the one who hurt your shoulder, then you'll have to tell him how that happened." She stepped back and sat down. "And I guarantee that he knows you hate me and that you'd never invite me outside for a walk, so you'll have to tell him I followed you and Cyle outside because I heard you were training."

"Are you threatening us?" Zen asked, his ears shooting up in surprise. "Because that's not what the Wild One would do."

"You don't know what the Wild One would do, and I'm not threatening. I'm stating what would happen, and I'm not a tattle tail, so go ahead and tell Breo if you want. I'd rather be kicked out before I'd let myself be treated like a runt."

…

Cyle had been sleepy every morning since his uncle started training him at night, but he didn't care because everything was coming easier to him. He quickly followed some other pokemon into the training hall and checked the board. Today, it was the start of a two day hiking adventure into the mountains. Near noon they would arrive at the camping ground and play a special game that was designed to test them in stealth and speed.

It was only three more days until the start of the tournament, and he couldn't wait.

The board in the battling room had several pieces of paper on it, grouping the pokemon together for the hike. Each group had their own Gemini leader.

_Luca's Group: Cecilia, Luke, Trevor, Angela, Colt, Ken, Mark, Priscilla_

Cyle was glad his sister wasn't paired with that other Umbreon. He couldn't take it when they bonded over something like noticing when his paws were wrongly positioned when launching Shadow Ball. He couldn't see how the girls got along so well, yet still managed to do everything else in their lives. It was like they bonded when not with each other. He was confused.

The male dark type continued on reading the names:

_Zodia's Group: Flin, Shelby, Benjamin, Abbie, Teler, Arron, Cyle, Jack_

Cyle growled under his breath, upset that Abbie was in his group. While it was true that she was strong and proved to be an excellent ally, she was aggravating. When he first met her, she insulted his battle style, then during the race she said that he was weak. But, she was stronger than his uncle. At least, from what he saw she was. He would deal with her if it meant becoming the Wild One.

Once everyone was awake, they were herded outside and split up into their groups.

"Okay guys," Zodia called to her group gleefully. "Which way are we going to go?"

A bunch of pokemon started shouting out random ways that were hard but some said the easier routes. One pokemon tried to show the way they could take, but it wasn't even a real route. The other groups were still being gathered together, and one group had left just a few minutes ago. Zodia's group would be next to leave, but they had to decide on a path to take. No one seemed to agree on a single one.

"We could take the easy path," one pokemon stated, "but it would take at least three hours not including breaks."

Abbie wanted to state her mind but pretty much everyone else was yelling out other options. The other Umbreon was actually being quiet and just sitting there alone. She kind of wanted to go over to him, but she left him alone. Everyone started quieting down so that Zodia could speak. Abbie, of course, jumped in and said her idea.

"Guys!" Abbie yelled, quieting the others down. "If we take the harder one then we can beat them there and have extra time to rest."

No one said anything for a while, not really sure if the hard path was safe to take. It was really steep and rocky, but that made it perfect for paw grips. And all that downhill after climbing very high would let them relax while still hiking. It was the perfect plan even for pokemon who didn't have great stamina.

"Well some pokemon might not be able to handle going that far up without breaks." Cyle shouted out.

"There are ledges to take breaks on." Abbie stated. "And if we get there first there's a prize waiting for us."

Both Umbreon looked toward Zodia, expecting her to choose a side. She wasn't planning on it though; picking someone over someone else wasn't really her thing. Zodia actually wanted to ask the other pokemon what they thought. It was, after all, their training so they should choose how they train.

"If you want to go on the hard path, raise your paw."

One pokemon raised his paw, but everyone else exchanged unsure glances, which didn't go by easy with Abbie. "C'mon guys." She looked at everyone, even Cyle. "We've been training for almost two weeks. We're all strong pokemon, and the only way to get stronger, to become the Wild One, is to push ourselves. I know that we can do this."

Slowly, everyone else raised their paw, persuaded by Abbie's speech. Zodia smiled and started heading up, leading everyone to the path. Cyle sat, waiting for everyone else to go ahead so he could be alone at the end of the pack. Whatever he seemed to suggest or do, Abbie seemed to be there to ruin it.

When she passed by him, he stared into her red eyes with his blue ones. His body suddenly felt calm, and his mind questioned it. Her head was gently tilted to the side, her eyes open wide with happiness, and her ears erect. She smiled, and Cyle gave her a second of a half-smile back. They were starting to become friends.

"I'm glad that you care about other pokemon," Abbie stated simply. She trotted ahead a few steps with Cyle following close behind. "It's a good trait of a king."

Zodia led everyone up the steep side of the hill, hopping from rock to rock without touching a piece of ground. Everyone else trudged along heavily, already panting at climbing up such a steep mountain. The rising sun couldn't even be seen over the highest peak about a mile up. Immediately, the pokemon regretted choosing this way up, but they didn't complain and simply kept going. The Ninetails had gotten a tough group.

Halfway through the upward hike, Abbie started breathing heavily with Cyle behind her. She could hear his hard breaths and quiet coughing. Actually, her throat was feeling very sticky and dry, so she coughed too. Still, the pair of Umbreon continued up, occasionally slipping on a few loose rocks. A half hour later, no one was complaining. They stopped for a quick break by a small, pokemon-made water hole. Everyone was relieved to have a drink of water and dunked their heads under the cool liquid, letting it flow down their faces. It didn't last long though, because everyone kept reminding themselves of the prize waiting for them if they beat the rest there.

The crisp autumn air blew against them, cooling the sweat-heated faces that desperately needed it. Small flowers sprung up off the paw-woven path, absorbing small rays of sunlight that poured down on the leaves. It was beautiful, and every single pokemon experienced that for the first time ever. Abbie enjoyed it the most, because she saw it every day and never took the time to appreciate it.

As they climbed, the mountain got a lot steeper and the loose dirt and gravel wasn't helping. Zodia often had to help some of the pokemon get back on their feet after falling down. At one point, every single pokemon wanted to take a detour because it was too hard to even walk. Every single paw that stepped down slipped fully under the gravel. Zodia finally gave into all the pleas and found another path they could take to the top that wouldn't delay them too much. Everyone walked along the steep, thin cliff until they were finally able to start heading up again.

Abbie offered to stay behind, helping anyone who slipped, and when everyone was ahead she continued on up. As her black paw came down, the dirt slipped under the weight, collapsing completely. Abbie's paw slipped.

Arron was way behind everyone else. While the rest of the group was already pretty far up, he was just starting to head up once again. His yellow-furred paws ached, but he kept climbing, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his wrist. Being an electric type, he should be at the front, but Arron wasn't feeling so good this morning and was just getting over it now. He would catch up on the downhill run. The Jolteon looked at the ground and continued hiking.

As a shadow rolled past his feet, making his instincts kick in. Suddenly, his claws seeped into the ground as he hung over the cliff, just barely holding onto the edge with his back paws. Arron's front paws dug into the side of the mountain before he even realized flesh was inside his mouth. He could taste the blood because of his biting and loosened his jaw just a little bit so he would hurt whatever pokemon he had caught. The electric type peered down carefully, barely seeing the brightly glowing band of light.

Abbie whimpered the second she felt something puncture the excess skin on her neck, and the rings glowed brightly in alarm. She waved her paws trying to find something to grab, but nothing was there. The dark type hung over a large drop by the scruff of her neck. She looked up, seeing a male Jolteon doing his best to prevent her from falling to her death. The grip loosened and she felt herself drop just an inch, making her squeak.

"Are you okay?" Arron yelled through his teeth. "Am I biting too hard?"

"No," Abbie gasped. "I think I'm okay."

"That's good," The Jolteon sighed with relief, pulling her body closer toward the ground. The Umbreon got her claws ready. "I thought I might've hurt you."

Abbie's back paws hit the edge of the cliff and she immediately sunk her claws into the ground and turned herself around. Arron grabbed her front paws and let go of the scruff of her neck, pulling her back up onto solid ground. He looked at her brown eyes and his ears perked up. She was very pretty.

"You did." She said, sitting down to catch her breath. "That's some bite you got there."

Arron's yellow ears fell back. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay. And you did just save me." The Umbreon smiled and stood back up. She started trotting after the group, since they were a little behind. "My name's Abbie."

"I'm Arron."

Zodia went back down and hurried the last two, especially Abbie since it was her idea to take the hard path in the first place. However, the Ninetales knew why they were behind, and smiled at the thought.

…

"Listen closely!" Zen shouted, grabbing everyone's attention. "We will be playing a game called Capture the Flag."

Gasps and shrieks of joy rang through the sky. Pokemon immediately started picking teams, choosing their friends or others who were strong and fast. Zen tried to get their attention back, but everyone else was too excited to care what the Umbreon had to say.

Not Abbie, though. She sat at the front of the pack, her ears perked up and listening closely. When Zen glanced over, he met her eyes and growled low under his breath. She simply shrugged him off and continued waiting. Despite it being the middle of the day, she would blend in with the shadows easily. No one would catch her.

Zen rolled his eyes and walked to Swipe, who was instructed on what to do. He stepped forward, examining the width of the pokemon crowd. He flapped his wings once, immediately jumping high into the sky. The white gem on his back glowed brightly. The wind switched direction, swirling around the flying type slowly at first. It sped up, quickly flashing white against the blue sky and took the shape of a bird. With a flap of Swipe's wings, the shape thundered toward the pokemon, disappearing into wind and knocking the crowd onto their stomachs and backs. Abbie, however, was unaffected by the breeze. Everyone looked in amazement as Swipe landed gracefully.

"Well done Swipe. Now, if everyone will pay attention." He turned toward the once shouting pokemon, getting complete silence. "Swipe just demonstrated a slight amount of power of what the gems have to offer. You will have to pay attention to training if you want to learn to use it."

Everyone was silent, pleasing Zen. The Umbreon walked closer. "There will only be two teams and I will be choosing them. Boundaries have already been set up, and each of you will have a band around your neck with your team color and a flag. If you step into enemy lines, and are hit by a move, the sensors in the bands will automatically paralyze you until another teammate comes and resets it."

Zen paired the teams: Zodia's group and his own, Luca's group and Kila's group, and he split Swipe's pure flying type group evenly between them. Cyle and Abbie were on the same team, of course, with their team color blue, and Cecilia was on the opposite team with her team color red. The blue team got the east half of the field, red got the west. Once both flags were hidden, the game started.

Red players were the first to cross, two of them getting close to the flag but Abbie quickly sent them running back. She didn't use a move on them because she didn't want to waste energy. The female Umbreon stayed behind her boundary line, watching and waiting for when her help was needed.

A flying type from her team crossed over, only to be hit by an electric type move and sent in a downward spiral. Abbie reacted quickly, darting into enemy lines with Cyle telling her to come back. A Razor Leaf was sent her way which she evaded with something she saw Zen use. The falling bird was near the treetops. She jumped from branch to branch until she pounced onto him. The sensors in the bands reacted, and the Tranquill was free to move. He quickly spread his wings and pulled back into their territory with Abbie on his back.

Luca saw what Abbie did. He was about to grab the Tranquill himself to prevent it from getting hurt, but the black shadow reacted first. He admired what she did, risking herself in the game to save a teammate. A small piece of his heart believed she was going to be the one.

The Jolteon felt embarrassed. He accidentally launched that bolt which hit one of his own team members. Arron didn't want to admit it, so he would stay quiet about it. Another Thundershock bounced off his fur and zapped an incoming Flame Burst. He saw the line that symbolized his territory and ran for cover, just barely making it across.

Abbie trotted over to the electric type. "Arron, are you alright? Did you see that Thundershock hit Tranquill?" She smirked and winked at him, telling him that she saw his attack and pranced away like nothing happened.

The electric type followed the dark type to the tip of boundaries, watching her look into the forest. He looked too, not seeing what she was looking at. Members of the red team stared at her trying to predict when and where she would run, but she wasn't focused on them at all. Her eyes darted back and forth, glancing from tree to tree as if she were looking for something. Cyle and Arron couldn't help but wonder.

Abbie taped each guy on the shoulder and walked back a few steps so the enemy wouldn't hear. "Their flag is on a rock in the middle of a pond where a waterfall flows into. Cece and a couple other of pokemon are guarding it. There's a path that isn't guarded too heavily toward the north that we can take. The only problem is getting past the guards."

Cyle's ears perked up in amazement. "How did you do that? Is there some kind of trick?"

"Look, listen, smell. That's the trick."

Arron came in with an idea. "If we go along that path, you two can blend with the shadows. If someone spots me I'll let them hit me and when they go one of you can come back and tag me. At the waterfall I can keep everyone out of the water with my Thundershock."

Cyle nodded. "Okay. What if we get some other pokemon to help?"

"No." Abbie said. "The more pokemon that try to help, the less cover we'll have. The red team will surely win if we lose our players."

"Then are we ready?" Arron asked. The two Umbreon nodded. "Then let's go."

Arron led the way with Abbie second and Cyle last, but the Jolteon let the female go in front of him. Cyle nudged him with his elbow as he walked by Arron, making fun of the way he treated Abbie. The electric type treated Abbie like she was a lady, which Cyle believed was right, but Arron looked like a pokemon hit him with an Attract.

Arron felt his cheeks burn with happiness when Abbie walked by. His sharp nose caught the scent of Oran flowers, which were in bloom at the castle. She must've picked one. He didn't know why he treated her so differently than other girls at this place, he just did. Arron snapped himself into reality and trotted forward, last in line.

Abbie's glowing bands were completely off. As she slipped under a tree, her body became invisible to the eye. She was tricky as an Umbreon should be, which bended to her capability. Cyle, however, couldn't dim his lights enough so Abbie had to walk beside him to cover the light.

Whatever light was inside the male Umbreon was scared out of him as a Vivillion faced them. She quickly noticed the yellow stripe dart past her and used String Shot to hit Arron. The sticky web wrapped around him once, tagging the blue band around his neck. A small wave was sent through the electric type's body, paralyzing his muscles. The colorful pokemon looked back toward the shadows, face to face with Cyle. Abbie put her paw over the male's mouth; they were completely covered by the shadows, the Vivillion couldn't see them. She quickly flew along, not caring to guard the downed pokemon.

Abbie lit up her rings and ran to Arron. "Hey! Are you okay?" She touched the blue sensors and Arron was able to move again.

"That was a close one," Cyle said, walking over to Arron. "You okay?"

The Jolteon unsheathed his claws and cut the sticky webs on his fur. "I'm good, but it's gonna take a whole lot of soap to get this web out." He tugged his paw out of his sticky fur.

As they continued walking, the ground started getting a little wetter. They were getting closer to the waterfall and closer to victory. The sound of water pounding on water had been ringing in Abbie's ears for a while now, but she wasn't surprised that Arron and Cyle didn't hear it until now. She knew about her stronger senses, which let her feel the pokemon watching them around her. They were waiting for the group of Eevee evolutions to get to the water before they would attack. Abbie knew it, but said nothing. She would be ready.

There it was. On a small piece of land in the tiny pond there was the red flag stuck in the ground. The two males didn't know that Cece was waiting in the water, completely camouflaged. Her cell structure was similar to water molecules, which let her become invisible to the eye inside of water. Abbie felt her there, she felt Cece breathing the oxygen from the water.

"Hey guys!" Cyle yelled. "Look the flag is right there!"

Cyle started running, but Abbie wasn't counting on that. "Cyle wait! Don't go over there."

The female Umbreon joined in the running, preparing Shadow Ball to launch at Cecilia, but the Vaporeon was moving swiftly through the water and Abbie couldn't see her. The water type grabbed the ice cold energy from the orb in her chest and let it escape her mouth. Cyle was hit in the leg and paralyzed, rolling close to the island but not getting onto it. The Abbie shot her ghost type move where Ice Beam was fired, distracting Cece long enough to pull Arron on the island and tag Cyle.

The others hiding in the forest immediately took action, firing all their long range attacks at the three intruders. Every single one of them missed because of that Umbreon. She was firing back to back Shadow Balls to block them from hitting herself and the other two. The red members came out of the shadows, still shooting at Abbie, Arron, and Cyle who were safely on the island.

"Quick Arron!" Abbie yelled immediately as she released another ghostly orb. She saw a small ball of ice forming in the water. "Use your Thundershock on the water!"

Arron, not caring that he was being ordered around, charged up the electricity from his orb into his fur. The static charged until he released a medium sized bolt onto the clear liquid. The electricity traveled through the water and was sent back into the air, blocking many of the oncoming attacks. Cece laid in the water, unconscious and paralyzed, until one of her teammates came and pulled her out.

The three stood on the island, guarding each other. Arron had static running around his body, Abbie had a fully charged Shadow Ball in front of her mouth, and Cyle was gripping the red flag between his teeth. All he has to do is get it into his boundaries and the game would be won. The only problem was the pokemon watching them like Hawlucha.

"So what do we do now?" Arron asked, glancing over to the Umbreons. "We're kind of trapped on this tiny island."

"I don't know." Cyle replied, looking toward the only other dark type on his team. "Abbie, what do we do?"

Abbie said nothing for a little bit. Her eyes darted back and forth, so Arron and Cyle assumed that she was thinking of something. "I've got nothing guys." She responded, sitting down and letting her Shadow Ball dissipate into the air.

Arron and Cyle were shocked; Abbie always had a plan. They didn't know what to do without her, and soon the pokemon trying to get the flag back joined in her sitting. They let their charged moves disappear just like Abbie let hers evaporate into thin air. The pokemon watched her carelessly, and the other two caught on.

The surrounding pokemon were letting their guard down and while Cecilia was still knocked out, it was time to make their move. Arron eyed Abbie, trying to tell her to do something that could let them win the game. She didn't budge, but remained in her sitting position doing nothing. Cyle realized how tight his teeth were sealed onto the red flag. He had seen the object so many times before but never actually got to hold it. He was nervous and wanted to run as fast as he could.

Abbie could feel it. All the dark type energy in her life source was slowly draining, flowing through her veins and into her paws. The energy was building up to a dangerous level and the dark energy started flowing into the ground, shaking it ever so slightly. She couldn't start her move with the surrounding eyes watching her. Plus the Umbreon needed to be careful not to hit her friends around her like Arron and Cece. She didn't care if it hit Cyle; he wouldn't feel much.

But she didn't know what would happen. This was her first time using this move.

Several pulses of blackness traveled through the ground hitting nearby pokemon and throwing up water, shaking the ground and trees. The sound echoed through the air like a bomb, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and look. The nearby pokemon became fazed and dizzy except for Arron and Cyle.

The female slammed her body into the other two. "Go! Run now!"

They didn't hesitate, bolting like a Sawsbuck away from a Pyroar. Arron was ahead with Cyle right behind him. Since the male Umbreon had the flag, Abbie was right behind him, nipping at his heels to make sure he kept up. Many of the pokemon hit by the attack shook off the effects and came running for the flag. Moves were being shot toward them, but Abbie and Arron took care of the attacks.

To the right a Vivillion spit a String Shot toward Abbie. The Umbreon reacted, draining energy from her orb and quickly forming a sphere in front of her. Shadow Ball completely broke the sticky web, sending it back where it came. The three team members kept running until their paws were sore and their lungs ached from breathing. Abbie made them run further with the line about twenty yards away.

"C'mon Cyle!" The female dark type encouraged. "Keep running!"

"I can't!" He said in between breaths, gasping for air. "I need to rest!"

"You can rest once we win this game!" Arron snapped. "Now move your tail!"

The Pidgeotto dived downward, slipping his wings straight into Cyle's legs, causing the four legged pokemon to fall over. The flying type circled around and went for the flag. Abbie flickered her tail, an iron color coating it. She jumped and twisted her body, slamming Iron Tail straight onto the flying type's back. Cyle scrambled to his paws and jumped over the line

All was silent for a few seconds, but when the realization kicked in every blue member pokemon was cheering for him. Abbie collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily in desperation to get her heart to the normal speed. Arron sat beside her, also panting. Once Cyle was able to get away, he joined his two new friends.

"Good job, prince." Abbie complemented. "Way to hang in there."


	9. Chapter 8: Alliances

**Chapter 8**

**Alliances**

With the two weeks of training over, today was the start of the tournament. The only one who wasn't excited was Zen. He paced in front of his brother and students, confused and unsure. King Breo sighed at his brother and made him sit down. However, the dark type claws scratched at the stone floor.

Normally, the Crysti acted like a map. The four other Crysti were bright and alive when he found them, and blinked whenever he was heading in the right direction. They found the Gemini for him, and all he had to do was train them. But, the Wild One Crysti had no trace of life in it when he got it. It wouldn't respond or react to the other Crysti, and he was beginning to worry it might not even be real.

"Why are you so worried?" the Jolteon asked. "You've had two weeks to be worried and to let it go. All those pokemon you've trained have grown strong."

Zen growled to himself. "I know you worked hard to put on this tournament, and I am very grateful that you did, but we don't know if the winner will be the Wild One. We don't know if the Wild One even entered this tournament, and…"

Suddenly, the doors opened, and Kila ran into the room. Her eyes were glowing with a pink aura. She ran in, and following her was the Future Orb she was holding with her Psychic. Her brain moved it to the the ground in front of the two brother. Once she let go of it, the bright flashing started up. It was fast and strong, like the heartbeat of someone who was nervous.

"Zen, when I went in to check on the Wild One Crysti I saw the Future Orb flashing." Kila knelt by it as Zen ran over. "I don't know how long it's been doing that."

Hopeful that it would give him some clue as to who the Wild One was, Zen focused his Psychic on the orb. It continued to flash at a rapid pace, making it hard for the Umbreon to focus. But, once he was able to lock on, the vision transferred to his mind and played itself, like it was supposed to do in the first place.

The vision was blurry, but Zen could see himself in a grass clearing in the middle of a forest. The wind blew sharply against his fur, and near the end of the clearing he could see a glowing red flag on top of a large pole.

Two figures emerged from the thicket of trees and spotted each other. Without a second thought, they both took off. One of the figures was faster than the other, but it looked as if it was having trouble running. The other figured noticed the struggled the first one had running. Within seconds a fragment of energy formed into Shadow Ball. The second shadow launched it at the first while continuing to run.

It stopped in its tracks, letting the Shadow Ball hit the ground in front of it, and continued running. The second figure was now slightly ahead of the other, but the first ran straight toward it and swung its tail, hitting the second into the trunk of a tree. It landed on its paws, and a tree was uprooted and thrown toward the first. It got hit, but got back up and continued running. Both figures jumped for the flag, but one missed.

When Zen returned from the vision, he was paralyzed by what he saw, but smiling nonetheless..

"Zen?" Breo called softly, bending down and looking his brother in the eyes. "What did you see?"

The Umbreon smiled and looked back into Breo's blue eyes. "The Wild One."

…

Abbie was the last one left that needed a band. The competition was ten minutes away from starting and everyone was nervous. In ten minutes, they would be fighting for the position of the fifth Gemini. Nearing seventy miles long and fifty miles wide, the pokemon would be racing each other over the span of several days. It was simple: be the first one to grab the red flag and the spot was yours. If the band was taken off, you lost. The band could be taken of manually, if someone quit the tournament, or by another pokemon. Every pokemon started inside a confined area and were released at the end of the countdown.

Abbie could feel her own heart racing, fast and strong.

A tight band was sealed onto her black furred neck, containing a tracker so she could be found if she got out of the competition. She was led toward the last cage and forced to wait the remaining five minutes. Even the confident, young Umbreon was nervous to start. She didn't want to end up hurting her friends like Cece or Arron or Cyle. She was sure they wouldn't hurt her, but the Umbreon couldn't be sure if she could trust them in case she ran into them during the competition.

Quickly, a Sableye brought two items with him. "Would you like the weapon or the bag?"

Abbie glanced down at the small knife and unopened traveling bag. "What's in the bag?

"Few survival items." He responded. "Might even be a rope."

Abbie put the bag around her shoulder and tightened it so it would stay on her back. She looked through the bars and saw a grassy plain, and suddenly there was a loud clanking of the unison opening of metal doors.

Thus, the tournament began.

Abbie stayed hidden in the shadows of her cage, watching everyone with her red eyes and waiting for the right time. Pokemon were using their moves wherever and whenever they could, desperately attacking each other to get the collars off. Everyone went completely insane, desperate to become the fifth Gemini.

A Liepard quickly fended off another pokemon and looked straight at her, not knowing she was there. The bands on the Umbreon lit up and Abbie darted from the shadows. She ran through the fighting pokemon, being hit by several moves. No matter what she was attacked with, her instincts told her to to run from the fight. A forceful pump of water hit her side which knocked her down. She rolled back to her paws and continued running.

The Liepard caught up with her, biting her neck and twisting her to the ground. Abbie's instincts told her a move was coming. The pokemon pulled her claw back and let a ghostly aura surround it. The claw came down and caused a small explosion. Several others were blown back and even more started running toward the safety of the forest. Abbie emerged from the smoke and ran into the thicket of trees.

Once at a safe distance, her legs buckled and she collapsed on the soft grass, desperately trying to catch her breath. Abbie kept her ears erect in case anyone came after her, but other than that she was trying to relax. All her muscles twitched and shook at what had just happened. The Liepard's Shadow Claw almost hit her, but she formed her Shadow Ball just in time. She didn't even realize that her body was tired, probably from letting all those moves hit her.

As the dark type shakily got to her feet, she realized that the only way to win was to have allies. She didn't have very many of them; maybe only Cece, Cyle, and Arron. Abbie didn't even remember seeing them get away, or if she saw them at all. She didn't know if they were still in the tournament. The Umbreon had to make more allies just in case her friends were out, but with the tournament already underway, she probably couldn't make any more.

A clap of thunder sent a jolt through Abbie's body, causing her to jump back a couple feet and shoot a random Shadow Ball. After seeing no one, she looked up at the clear blue sky and perked her ears up. A bolt of lightning flashed, a familiar bolt of lightning. The female smiled, relieved at the sight of Arron's Thundershock, and went to find her friend.

Abbie was wrestled into the ground and kicked at a tree. Using her tail, the Umbreon avoided the impact and sent another random Shadow Ball. The ghost type move hit something and she bolted on her instincts command, her bag full of supplies clenched in her teeth. While running, she looked back and saw the pokemon that attacked her unconscious, which made her feel safe. The stinging in her shoulder was hurting a little, but she kept running.

After almost an hour of running, she was beginning to get tired. Her black paw caught on a rock and she flipped over. Her bag flew off and the Umbreon fell into a two foot deep river. Her fur was soaked and she grunted, but then drank the water. She had become thirsty. Abbie drank the water until her stomach was full. She had to get used to drinking this much water because with little food to eat, her body would need something to get energy from. She was very used to it though, after living in a forest alone. Food was always a limited resource. However, in her bag she found three Oran berries, a rope, and some bandages, which would help her last.

Abbie followed the river for the remainder of the day, occasionally stopping to drink the water or just soak inside of it. The coolness of it made the heat disappear. It felt nice, but the Umbreon couldn't stay for long. She had to keep moving. She planned to move for an entire two days and sleep only for a couple hours at night. The moon would give her all the energy she needed for that amount of time, and she was only going to eat half of the three Oran berries for the two day trek. Hopefully, more food was on her path.

Abbie had the course committed to memory. She saw a map on the wall next to where she was banded and took the time to look at it. The river she was by would take her halfway to the flag which happened to be up a mountain, but the only problem with her path was the cliff. The flowing water turned into waterfall exactly at the halfway point and dropped tremendously. She would have trouble getting down it, but Abbie wasn't going to give up that easily.

Cecilia smiled when she saw that her friend couldn't see her, but then again, she was blending in with the water. All the molecules in her body were similar to the molecules in water which let the Vaporeon basically turn into the liquid. It was one of the perks of being a water type. Cece flipped her tail up and down to propel herself in the water, creating a small current trailing behind her.

The water type stopped abruptly, a tiny wave shaking the water around her. Abbie had stopped walking, bending down to take a drink. The dark type's mouth didn't reach the water's surface, and instead she stared straight into it. The Umbreon was sure that she had seen something move. Slowly, she pulled her paw back and swung it down. With one quick splash, Abbie knew she wasn't alone.

Cecilia tackled Abbie before getting smacked herself. The dark type clawed and scratched randomly out of surprise. The Vaporeon pinned her friend down and forced the pokemon to calm down. Abbie finally opened her eyes to see what she was hitting at and found her water type friend standing over her. The Umbreon calmed down and Cece let her out of the pin, smiling.

"You got pretty scared." She laughed.

"I wasn't scared!" Abbie snarled, brushing grass and dust of her legs. "You just surprised me. I've already had a pokemon try to kill me."

"I did too. Look." Cece pulled her blue tail in front of her paws, letting Abbie see it. A deep, bloody gash marked the left fin. "I got it from a Raichu. He cut me pretty bad."

"Does it hurt?" Abbie asked, touching it slightly. Cece winced and pulled her tail closer to her body. "Sorry. Are you going to be okay?"

"I should be, but I think I need to keep it out of the water. While I was following you, it kept throbbing."

"You're a water type. You belong in the water. Do you have anything for it in your bag?"

The Vaporeon shook her head slowly. "No. I only have a few items."

"I think I might have some bandages."

Abbie threw her bag off her bag and began searching. She pawed her way through Oran berries and a pile of rope until she found the small amount of wound care she was given. The Umbreon brought her friend over to the water and washed off the cut, wrapping it carefully in bandages. Cece looked at her tail and gratefully smiled at her friend.

"Thanks," the water type said.

Abbie put the bag back on and started walking further into the forest, following the river's path. "Now c'mon. We have to keep moving if we want to get to the flag first. I've memorized the map so we should be getting close to a mountain in a few days."

Cecilia laughed. "It's a good thing you know about this stuff."

"Yeah. For these next few miles we'll be in Persian territory. They don't tend to welcome visitors so we'll need to be very careful."

…

After the competition started, Cyle ran to the protection of the forest with Arron tailing behind him. The Jolteon didn't want to be on his own and Cyle certainly didn't either. He let the electric type come with him and they both ran for a long time, trying to get away from the danger. After a certain time, they slowed to a walk, almost positive that no one else was around.

"So," Arron panted to break the silence between them. "What's in the bag?"

Cyle readjusted the brown traveler's bag on his shoulder. "Some Cheri and Pecha berries, so that tells me that we're going to be finding either plants or pokemon that can cause poison or paralysis. Or they might not be useful at all."

"An Arcanine hit me with a Flamethrower and lit my bag on fire," The electric type admitted. "I had to ditch it."

"Doesn't matter now, so we should keep moving."

The Umbreon stepped into a run. Cyle told himself that he wouldn't trust anyone, not even his sister. Well, she wasn't really his sister but to him she felt like his sibling. He wouldn't be able to trust anyone, though, because if he did, his chance at being the fifth Gemini would lower.

The electric type caught up with the dark type. "So what do you think we should do?"

"Keep walking. We're going to be walking for a couple days so we should get as far as we can."

"I mean should we build camps at night and travel in the day? Or the other way around?"

"We should keep walking."

"Look Mr. Glow-in-the-Dark, you may be able to walk for a while but the little orb inside your chest won't let you keep walking non-stop. You do need to sleep at some point. It's better to separate it and not sleep for a long period of time. So _what_ do you want to do?"

"Fine. We sleep by night and travel by day."

Arron's ears shot up. ""Really? I thought you would want to travel at night."

"It's probably easier for you to see when the sun is up and I can hide easier if someone comes."

"Do you think we should try to meet up with the girls?"

Cyle's ears perked up. "Shut up."

"Hey, it's better to have allies that…"

"No, seriously. I think I heard something."

Both pokemon stopped running and immediately stood back to back, watching the surroundings for someone trying to attack. Their ears were open to sounds that may come, and their moves were already charged. Arron jumped as the light over him disappeared for a second. He shot an aimless Thundershock into the sky, watching it disappear as he looked up. Cyle growled disapprovingly, but kept his eyes on the sky, trying to find the shadow that passed over him.

The bird charged again, nailing Arron's side with a sudden thrust of his beak. Cyle landed a direct hit with his shadow ball, but the Pigeotto circled around again, completely unaffected. It pinned the dark type with its large claws and smack him with Steel Wing, trying to finish it with one blow to the head. The Umbreon growled for help as the pokemon on top of him raised a glowing wing. The Jolteon bolted and swung his body around, keeping his front paws on the ground. Both of his back paws kicked the Pidgeotto back into the air.

Cyle stood up and nodded to Arron, letting his body glow slightly. He danced through the trees with Quick Attack. The Jolteon used his Agility to confuse the flying type even more. They both ended it the same way: jumping on the Pidgeotto's wings to make it fall. The Eevee evolutions pulled off at the last second, hoping it would hit the ground, but the flying type scrambled up at the last second and flew away.

"Nice fighting." Arron praised. "You could work on defense, though."

"Thanks." Cyle panted back. "Next time, don't be so jumpy."

Arron looked ahead, seeing distinctive scratches on the trees. He recognized them from one of the books he read in the castle. "We've gotta be careful on this upcoming area. It's Persian territory."


	10. Chapter 9: Teamwork

**Chapter 9**

**Teamwork**

The Vaporeon and Umbreon were still in Persian territory after traveling all day. It was dangerous to be in there. More than two-hundred Persian lived in the small area and the pack hunted in these forests, including the mountain. Unlike the civilized pokemon in Auras kingdom, the Persian were still wild pokemon and hunted other pokemon for food. It was actually how most wild pokemon lived.

This competition was held outside the safety of the walls. Kingdom pokemon were vulnerable in the wilderness. Abbie never knew anything outside Auras. No one would try to kill her inside the walls. No one would harm her inside the walls. Although she hadn't obeyed _all_ the rules of the kingdom, it was all she ever knew.

A red light glinted from the foliage of the trees and caught Abbie's eye. "Hey, Cece, did you see that?"

"See what?" The water type yawned. "The trees?"

"No, I think I saw something."

"Abbie, you're just being paranoid. I don't even think the Persian are close to us."

Abbie stopped talking, but continued to watch the trees. For the next hour, she saw nothing but her ears rung with the sound of snapping twigs. She knew that there was an entire pack of pokemon just waiting for the chance to attack. Once the sun was completely down, the glinted gems on their foreheads were clear to Abbie, and they were closer than before. Way closer.

She nudged Cece and whispered. "Run."

"What?"

"Now!"

The Umbreon slammed her body onto the wet, blue one, sending the Vaporeon into a run. The Persian pounced into attack, half of them trying to get Abbie while the other half ran after Cece. Instinctively, the dark energy flowed through the dark type's veins and burst from under her paws. Waves were sent outward and smacked the pokemon away, giving Abbie a chance to follow Cece.

Without thinking, her paws sped along the ground and up to the water type's side, firing Shadow Balls at the ground to kick up dirt. Cecilia threw out pumps of pressured water to slow them down, but the pokemon were ready to attack and still chasing them. Claws were out and fangs lengthened to pierce skin and cause bleeding. The Persian pack was ready to kill the trespassers.

"What should we do?" Cece panted, tired of running. "We can't do this forever."

"Then we'll just have to fight!"

Abbie stopped running and turned just as a Persian leapt at her, trying to bite her neck. She quickly twisted her body and flung it off with ease, power flowing into her veins and to her tail. Iron Tail hit two normal types and threw them into others, causing the unity of the pack to fall. They attacked on random, not following orders from the alpha.

Cece froze paws, legs, and tails of the predators only to break them free when she smacked them with her iron coated tail. A Persian jumped on her and bit hard onto the webbed leg. She screamed and blasted a Hydro Pump right into its face, flinging it off. Quickly, Cecilia's bared her fangs and bit into a black Persian without thinking.

A guy screamed and kicked the air, hitting the jaws of the attacking cat pokemon. He used Psychic on Cece and threw her into the river, thinking his sister was a Persian. Cyle pulled out a large amount of energy and let it swirl around him. He ran and scored a direct hit on about ten Persian before one scratched his side and knocked him away.

A loud crack echoed through the air as Thundershock flew in and saved Cyle from dying at the paws of the alpha. Arron quickly stepped in and knocked the attacking Persian away until Cyle was able to get up. He twisted around and nailed Double Kick to a normal type's side.

The four Eevee evolutions were backed into a defensive circle, finally realizing that they were with each other. Arron and Cyle were attacked by the other half of the Perisna pack and chased here with the girls. Abbie was annoyed but Cece was happy that they were here. If they all worked together they could chase the pack away.

"So what do we do now?" Abbie growled, baring her fangs at the pokemon as she launched a Shadow Ball at the ground in front of it. "We're kind of trapped."

"I could try freezing the ground." Cece suggested, preparing an Ice Beam. "We might be able to get away."

"Stop!" Cyle yelled, making his sister cut off her move. "That won't work! They're all around us and you only have a limited shooting area."

"I have an idea!" Arron shouted. "Abbie you use Dark Pulse, Cece you used Hydro Pump on the ground, I'll use Thundershock, and Cyle you can use Psychic to amplify the power!"

"I love that idea!" Abbie agreed, thinking how big the move would be.

Cyle shot another ineffective Shadow Ball. "Why don't these things work?!"

"Because it doesn't work on normal types!" Cece shouted, a little frustrated that he didn't figure that out yet.

"Three! Two!" Everyone got their attacks ready. The Persian leapt forward, baring their claws and fangs. "One!"

An explosion was created from all the moves combined together. The ground around them shook forcefully. All four were hit by each other's attacks, being blown far away from each other. Once the smoke cleared, everyone was still standing and the Persian fled, knowing that they weren't going to get these guys out of their territory without getting hurt.

With the pack gone, Abbie, Cecilia, Cyle, and Arron all collapsed where they were and fell into a deep sleep.

…

Abbie was the first to wake up. It was just before dawn, leaving the sky a glowing dark blue. Her body ached from the first day of running and fighting, walking, and then more running and fighting. She laid there for a couple of minutes until she heard the growling stomachs of Arron and Cecilia. They looked worn out with all of the scratches and bruises on their bodies from fighting the Persian. Of course, Abbie and Cyle were beaten, too, but they weren't really that hungry since the moon gave them some energy.

Even though it was a bad idea, the Umbreon stood up and walked into the forest. They couldn't keep going on without something to eat, and Abbie had to save the Oran berries for an emergency. While they could be eaten, their juices had healing properties when applied to a wound.

She walked around the area for a few minutes, stopping and sniffing and digging to try to find food. She could smell the faint scent of something sweet, but who knew how far away it was? It didn't smell too far away, but she shouldn't just leave her friends alone. Even though they had each other, the three were asleep, and it was fair to say that Abbie was the strongest one there. She turned to go back, but the scent became stronger and she knew they were Oran berries. Through the trees, she saw her blue friend, who had become a sister to her, lying on the ground with her tail twitching. It didn't look like it was getting better, and the berries were right there. She needed as many of the healing berries as she could get.

Abbie turned back around and walked toward the scent. Her nose led the way through the forest, taking her in several twisting directions. The smell of the berries was similar to Sweet Scent. After just a minute of following it, Abbie developed an attraction to it. It was sweet and nice, but it dulled her instincts and reactions, causing her to trip over random roots.

Then, the aroma was all around her, making her stay in one spot. She didn't move and remained sniffing the air, not even notice the vines on the ground moving. They circled around her paws, careful not to touch her fur, and the eyes from all around watched and waited.

Then, the aroma was gone and the vines seized their prey.

The life source in her chest jolted Cecilia awake, alerting her of danger nearby. She jumped up and blasted an Ice Beam at the ground, as if something had grabbed her paws. Arron and Cyle were immediately awake after feeling the icy wave of air rush over them, only to find the water type standing there. She was still, and staring into the forest, her rubbery ears erect.

"Sis, what happened?" Cyle asked, rubbing his tired eyes.

Arron looked out to where Cece's eyes were focused, only seeing trees. "Was someone here?"

Another jolt shook her life source, making her jump once again. She didn't know what it was or where it was coming from, but it made her heart beat a mile a minute. Her claws dug into the ground as she could smell the soft aroma of berries, but the scent was dulling to her senses, and she shook her head to clear her mind.

Cecilia looked around hastily. "Where's Abbie?"

Arron and Cyle just noticed that Abbie was gone, but before they could even process it, Cece was gone. She was running into the forest, and the two guys sighed and followed her, knowing she couldn't go on her own. At the speed she was running, though, they doubted that they could keep up with her.

"Wait...Cece," Arron panted as he ran. "Where are…we going?"

"What if Abbie comes back and sees us gone?" Cyle asked. "We need to be waiting…"

Suddenly, the Vaporeon skidded to a stop. Cyle and Arron slowed down until they were by her side. The growling, snaps, and snarls flooded their ears, and before them was was a jungle of vines, coming from Bellsprout and Tangela, and a dulling aroma was being produced by the Vileplume. Most of the vines were wrapped around an Umbreon, and the others were on their way.

Abbie was suspended in the air by several of the Tangela's and Bellsprout's vines. She opened her mouth and started forming a Shadow Ball. Before she could release it, though, a vine snapped her mouth shut and held it closed, causing the move to disappear into the air. Then, she was slammed at the trunk of a tree. The pokemon were about to smash her body against the ground, but before they could an Ice Beam froze the vines over. A bolt of lightening whizzed by and cracked the ice, breaking the grass ropes in two.

The Bellsprout and Tangela jumped back a few feet, surprised and hurt by the sudden attack. Abbie hit the ground, but quickly got to her feet and tackled one of the Vileplume nearby. The scent was weaker, almost gone, as soon as it hit the tree and was knocked out. A vine grabbed her back leg and dragged her down, but she simply fired a Shadow Ball back at the Tangela. It exploded, releasing a cloud of smoke and covering a majority of the grass types.

Abbie smiled at her friends. "Thanks guys."

Suddenly, a dozen vines shot and grabbed Arron and Cyle, and Abbie and Cecilia were just barely able to avoid them. The vines emitted a green electricity, sapping the energy from Arron and Cyle. The two girls tried to get to them, but were kept busy by the dancing greenery around them. It smacked them, grabbed them, and slammed them against anything it could.

Abbie simply stopped attacking, focusing everything in her heart, her power source, to her paws. She could feel the dark energy building up in her bloodstreams, making her paws shake. She did her best to ignore the constant slam against the ground, and focused just on the darkness.

A pulse of blackness burst from her paws. It vibrated and traveled through the air and ground, knocking everything away, including her friends. The vines broke, dropping her and Cece onto the ground. The Dark Pulse wasn't strong enough to knock out anyone, but stunned the grass types for a few seconds.

Abbie got back up in a second. "Run!" She yelled.

Arron and Cecilia ran ahead, but Cyle was nowhere to be seen. Abbie looked around hastily, knowing the pokemon would be moving any moment now, and she found him still lying on the ground. Abbie quickly ran back and slid under him, adjusting the Umbreon so he wouldn't fall. He groaned in as she ran, but Abbie had to ignore it and continue running.

A vine shot passed her and quickly turned, coming back at her. She jumped and the vine scraped her ankles, flipping her midair. She quickly formed and launched a Shadow Ball at the Tangela's vines, causing it to retreat, and landed on her paws. Abbie swiftly moved to catch Cyle on her back, and then ran after Arron and Cecilia.

…

They ran on until evening, with the exception of Cyle who still unconscious and being carried by Abbie. Once they decided to stop, the sun was almost setting, and having been running all day they made the choice to settle in for the night. Abbie gently placed Cyle on the ground and laid down a few feet away from him.

"You must've hit him pretty hard," Cecilia stated as she walked over and curled up on the ground. "That was some Dark Pulse."

"It wasn't much," Abbie admitted. "I can't believe Cyle's been out all day. I mean, he's a dark type, and you two didn't get knocked out."

"We haven't had a lot to eat. I mean, I haven't eaten the entire competition and Cyle probably hasn't either. When he wakes up, he's gonna be exhausted."

Arron heard their predicament and headed into the forest alone, trying to find an Oran berry tree. Of course, though, the female Umbreon joined him. She couldn't let him go into the forest alone, not after what happened with her. At first, they said nothing to each other, trying to find something for them to eat. Abbie sniffed the trees and ground, digging into the dirt when she thought she found something. Arron often combed through his fur when she wasn't looking.

"So," Arron started awkwardly. "What are you doing?"

"Oh you know," Abbie said, her voice slightly shaky from digging through the dirt. "Just hunting Bouffalant."

Arron laughed and scratched the back of his neck. "You're cute."

"Thanks."

"Oh, no, I was saying that the joke you…" Arron paused for a second, realizing he was making the situation more awkward for himself. He just wanted to talk to Abbie. "I mean that your joke is cute and you're…uh…kinda cute-too?"

"I'll take that as a complement." There was nothing under the dirt, so Abbie sniffed the air and caught a whiff of berries. She led the Jolteon toward a tree and looked up, spotting two Oran berries hanging off the branch and three more in the leaves. "How good is your aim?"

"Huh? Oh! I think I shoot my Thundershock pretty well."

"Good, now hit the Oran berries off that tree."

Arron pulled electricity out of the orb in his chest, letting it charge in his yellow fur. He set his aim on the stem of a blue berry and threw the bolt. An Oran berry fell off and smacked his head. Abbie chuckled and jumped, swiftly kicking the trunk of the tree. Three more berries fell on the Jolteon, causing him to rub the spots where he was hit. The Umbreon laughed again and picked up two of the berries while Arron got the other two.

He couldn't help but have a crush on her.


	11. Chapter 10: The Oblivion

**Chapter 10**

**The Oblivion**

The grass type walked through the dim hallways, growling softly at the stupidity of other pokemon. Her light brown eyes glinted in what little light there was, showing the anger. Many of the servants in the castle quickly stepped back and bowed as she walked by. No one wanted to get in her way, so it was easier for them to not stand out.

If Lidia wanted something done right, she would have to do it for herself. Why couldn't anyone follow the simplest of orders? Those two pokemon were supposed to fetch the Crystal Minds from Earth Kingdom. It wasn't that hard to sneak through a town unnoticed, even in Auras Kingdom, but somehow those idiots couldn't handle it.

The Leafeon was joined by an Abra who was explaining to her their situation. The soldiers sent to Earth kingdom were caught in their detour through Auras and now the Gemini had taken a supply of Pecha and Rawst berries as punishment. Since they were more powerful, Lidia couldn't do anything about it, so she let them take the stupid berries. The grass type knew that if any of her soldiers were caught within Auras that there would be a consequence. But she needed those crystals!

The Abra pulled an object off the table he passed while struggling to keep up with Lidia's fast pace. "Uh, Queen Lidia?"

"What?!" She hissed, still angry. A couple of pokemon were quick to get out of the situation. "What is so important?!"

Abra quivered in fear, but slowly held his paw out to the Leafeon. "Your c-crown, uh, has come b-back."

Lidia calmed herself slightly, and pressed her paw onto the floor. A vine shot up and secured the crown from Abra's paw. She twirled the vine so that it placed the piece of jewelry on her head and snared back into the ground. The grass type continued walking down the hall and headed up the stairs, dismissing the psychic type to do his work. He shivered, hating that creepy thing Lidia did with her vines.

Lidia now rushed up the stairs and down the hall, knowing that she was late for the meeting with her many workers. She didn't really care, though. Everyone was afraid of her, and never complained or argued. Being the queen of Oblivion kingdom meant nobody dared to take her place. Only those rotten leaders of Auras questioned her ruling and there was nothing she could do about it. They had the Gemini and Zen.

The Leafeon scoffed in distaste at even thinking of Zen. That rotten Umbreon was the one who ruined her perfect life! She was still going to make him pay, even after six years. It had taken six years. Six, painfully lonely and long years of waiting. Finally she would get her revenge.

Lidia walked casually through the door and sat down at the head of the table, seeing everyone waiting for her. They said nothing about her lateness, and hadn't even tried to start the meeting. They knew it was Lidia's job and didn't want the punishment for breaking the rules. Usually, she started off by asking how the towns were running, and then got onto more important things.

"Alright!" Lidia shouted, causing everyone to straighten their positions. "You've got two minutes to tell me about the towns."

Gabite was the one who kept an eye on the medicines, so he spoke up. "Oh, uh, yes ma'am. Well, Narrow village says they're running low on medicines and need a couple of Potions to heal some of the wounded pokemon."

Politoed went next, stating regular problems. "And Pyre town is having trouble keeping the evolution stones safe and need some soldiers down there to guard them. Also, the Canal city dam is starting to break in some places and has to be patched up or the entire kingdom will flood."

"Is that everything?" Lidia asked after hearing nothing for a few seconds. When no one spoke up, she gave solutions to the problems. "Good. For Canal city I want them to fix the dam, and ask Narrow village how much medicine they need. Give them half of what they say. As for Pyre, fire the pokemon who work there and send the stones here."

"But, Queen Lidia, that doesn't really help them.""

"I don't care." She snapped, silencing everyone. "Now we need to talk about more important issues. I want to hear about the deal with Earth."

No one wanted to argue, so someone spoke up, "Of course, ma'am. Earth said that they want the crystals to be picked up by tomorrow or else the deal is off."

"Can't they wait an extra day? It's not like Auras knows about them. Besides, what I'm giving them for the Crystal Minds is more than enough to hold onto them for a couple of days."

"They said that they're tired of waiting, and that Auras is starting to realize something's up."

Lidia was sick of Auras and the Gemini. Out of the three kingdoms, they were the ones who tried to keep order. They did keep peace, but if a kingdom broke a rule, food was taken as punishment. As a result, Auras Kingdom was flourishing; that's what made her angry.

"Fine. Get my cart ready. I'll be leaving in ten minutes."

"Yes your Majesty."

A pokemon left, trying to find the best two Rapidashes to take the queen around Auras Kingdom and to Earth Kingdom. If she left soon, they would be there by morning. Lidia started out the door and the other pokemon started moving, glad she didn't bring up the last topic. Just as she set one paw out the door, her ears perked up. She had totally forgotten.

"What about Cecilia?"

They all froze, unable to answer the queen's question. She whipped her head around and asked again, demanding an answer. The Gabite gulped and stepped forward.

"Uh, well, we haven't been able to get a hold of her but I assume we should still continue as planned. If something happened we would know."

Lidia didn't respond, only slamming the door shut with her vines. She wasn't happy with the answer given to her, but she knew Cecilia would do that at some point. Whatever, the Leafeon had more important things to do. She needed to leave in less than ten minutes and stop at the dungeon beforehand.

The grass type sighed and hurried down the halls, completely ignoring the Abra who was telling her that her ride was ready. She tied his paws with Grass Knot and headed down the stairs till she came to a big, chained door. Lidia quickly unlocked it with the key hanging beside the door and went in, keeping it open with a quickly grown root.

She went to the last cage on the right, protected by a set of bars and glass with holes in it that wouldn't break no matter how hard you hit it. Inside was a three foot tall pokemon sitting in the corner of the cell. Its black fur was mangy and unkempt, a result of being stuck in there for a long time. He spread his claws and combed through his fur until it was decent. The Umbreon was probably the same age as Zen. He had no idea that Lidia was watching him.

"I see you still can't get out." She said slyly. Lidia came down here every day to mock the locked pokemon who claimed he would escape.

The Umbreon quickly ran at her, but stopped because of the barriers. "How long do you plan to keep me in here?"

"Long enough to make sure you can't squeal to Auras Kingdom about my plan."

"I won't tell anyone. I just want to know if my pack is okay. Please, you're not going to hurt anyone, are you?"

Lidia chuckled. "I don't even know where they are to begin with so I wouldn't know if they're alive or not. Nor do I have the plan to hunt them down. They don't know, so there's no reason. My time is more valuable than that."

She started to leave, but the Umbreon interrupted, "You're not going to get away with this Lidia. Auras Kingdom is already selecting the Wild One."

The Leafeon's ears perked up high. "Really? The most powerful Gemini of them all, destined to protect? That kind of power could be useful to us."

Immediately, the caged dark type regretted what he said. He slammed the bars again and again, stopping only when it felt like it shoulders were going to break. He wished he could do something.

…

Lidia was awakened by noises outside of her carriage. She blinked rapidly and stood up, stretching her tired muscles. It was a long night of sleeping on the wood while the two clumsy Rapidash kept going on bumpy routes. The Leafeon barely got any sleep, but she would have to suck it up and deal with it. In Earth Kingdom, she was highly respected.

She heard the sounds of gates opening and looked out the small window to a huge castle standing in their path. The entire castle was made of bare rock, giving the kingdom an old fashioned look. Almost everything was made of rock. In Oblivion and Auras, everyone used perfectly cut stone bricks or wood to make things. But this kingdom was basically made of rock and dirt. Many of the pokemon were ground, rock, and steel types. However, there were some grass, bug, and fire types.

There was silence when her carriage stopped, and then music started playing. A small, young Drilbur was waiting for Lidia as soon as she stepped out onto the soft, bare rock that had been worn down to form a walkway. He smiled and bowed, saying. "Welcome to Earth Kingdom, Miss Lidya."

The Leafeon was escorted kindly by a baby Drilbur. Everything about him was cute. The way he talked, the way he walked, and the way he tried to act like a gentleman. He led her down several hallways and into the throne room. He said a very sweet goodbye and left without hesitation. There was no way Drilbur was staying in that room with the evil Leafeon. He shivered once the door closed and ran quickly back to his room.

A rather large Excadrill sat on the throne, a golden crown on his head. He was holding a wooden box between his claws with his eyes closed. He seemed to be deep in thought. Lidia couldn't imagine what Rockwell was thinking about.

"I can't imagine…" He said after a while. "…why you would want this unknown substance we dug up."

"I plan to research it and find out what it is." Lidia lied. She already knew what it was. "Auras can't have all the fun."

"They would kill me if they found out I had something they didn't know about." The Excadrill got off the throne and came close to the Leafeon. "But your price persuaded me to hold onto it. Just get it out of here unnoticed."

Lidia used her vines to open the box. Inside were four diamonds, perfectly shaped. The glistened blood red, almost looking like actual blood. She gazed at their beauty for a long time before closing the box. Lidia took the box, thanked King Rockwell, and left as fast as she could. Now, all she had to do was wait for Cecilia.


	12. Chapter 11: What Happened On The Mountai

**Chapter 11**

**Up The Mountain**

Cyle opened his tired eyes, seeing a mixture of dark blue and green. He went to stand up, but felt the intense soreness in his muscles. When he thought back, he remembered Abbie's Dark Pulse hitting him, and then the blackness. It was powerful, but where was he now?

Once he rubbed the sleepiness away, the Umbreon saw the moon just about to go down, and the few rays of light coming up from the opposite end of the horizon. Around him lay Arron, Cecilia, and Abbie. All three of them were covered in cuts and bruises, but at least his sister's tail was almost healed. They looked exhausted, Abbie especially.

What caught his eye was the round berry sitting just two feet away from him. He went to grab it, but immediately thought it through. Sure, he was starving, but everyone else needed to eat, too. So, before he ate anything, Cyle cut the berry into four even slices and whole-heartily ate one of them. The juices poured down his dry throat, and the healing minerals and vitamins were absorbed straight into his bloodstream. They went all throughout his body, delivering the minerals to his muscles so they could heal.

Cyle felt extremely better after eating even that small slice. He slumped down to the ground, wishing he had more, but left the other three slices for his friends. That is, until he saw the soil. A note was written into the ground: _When you wake up, Cyle. -Abbie_. It was circled and pointing to the spot where the other three slices of the Oran berry lay. He smiled and devoured the rest of the berry.

After finishing his food, the Umbreon glanced down at the sleeping Abbie. She looked so peaceful, her fur reflecting the moonlight and her side slowly rising and falling as she breathed. He smiled at her, and then the events of yesterday came to him. They were blurry memories, but he remembered running, or rather, Abbie running. She came back to get him and carried him all this way, just at the base of a mountain. They were almost at the halfway point.

Cyle felt something weird in his chest.

Abbie started to stir. She opened her eyes and blinked a couple times, then yawned as she stood up. Cyle sat by her side, and she smiled at him. "Hey. Did you get your berry?"

"Yeah." The male Umbreon said. "And...thanks."

"For what?"

"For yesterday. Saving me."

Abbie stretched her muscles out. "Oh yeah. Don't worry about it. I mean, you came for me so I came for you. How did you guys know I was in trouble?"

"Well yesterday morning Cece woke up me and Arron with an Ice Beam. it looked like she was being attacked, but then she took off into the forest. She led us right to you."

There was silence for a minute, until Abbie said, "Well let's get going. Hopefully we can get up the mountain by nightfall without anything trying to attack us."

…

The sun rose above the horizon and slid across the sky, dropping down below the other end. The moon came up, lighting up the dark sky like a flashlight amongst white laser pointers. It was almost midnight by the time the team of four reached the top of the mountain. Everyone was exhausted and hungry, so they decided to split and eat one of Cyle's Pecha berries.

Since none of them were poisoned, it tasted bitter and disgusting, but something was better than nothing. They needed some form of food in their bellies, and they had to save the Oran berries in case someone got hurt.

Together, they feasted in silence.

While she ate, Abbie couldn't help but think about Arron. Last night, when she got berries with him, he was acting strange and awkward. He kept staring at her and checking his breath when he thought she wasn't looking. And on the way up the mountain, he kept trying to walk really close to her. He had a crush on her, but Abbie only thought of him as a friend. Plus, she kind of just met him.

Cecilia chewed slowly, staring at the rock and dirt. Her stomach twisted and turned, so much that she stopped eating. She looked toward her friends, her brother, and smiled. Arron was cute, nice, polite, and easy to talk to. Cece felt happy when she was with him. She was close to Cyle, too, and could tell him anything. Abbie was so much like a sister to her now. They enjoyed doing the same things, they talked for hours at a time, and they were both so strong. Cece didn't want to leave them.

Arron felt at home with his friends, and he kind of hoped him and Abbie could be more than friends. He thought she was beautiful and that her strength was one of the best parts of her. But, he was a little worried. On the way up the mountain, he kept trying to walk closer to her, but she kept stepping away, running ahead, or falling back. He was unsure of where they were at right now, even as friends.

Cyle was confused. His chest felt funny and that made his muscles shaky. Every few seconds he would roll his shoulders, stretch out his claws, or extended his legs. He ate his berry slice, but his stomach still ached. He wasn't hungry, though, and the berry definitely wasn't too sweet. Yet he couldn't figure out why he was feeling like this.

A twig snapped. Everyone's ears perked up.

Three pokemon, a Grovyle, a Sliggoo, and a Krokorok, all wearing white collars, emerged from the thicket. They were in the tournament as well, looking to take out a few competitors. Abbie, Arron, Cyle, and Cecilia all split up and took a pokemon. Abbie and Cyle teamed up on the Sliggoo, while Arron took the Grovyle and Cece the Krokorok.

Arron's paws moved fast as he ran circles around the Grovyle, using Agility to increase his speed. However, the grass type was just as fast, and dodged a Thundershock aimed straight at him. The leaves on his arms pulled together and formed blades surrounded by a green aura. Arron ran at him, hoping to get a grip on the Grovyle and hit him with Thundershock, but he made a swift uppercut and nailed the Jolteon. Arron landed hard on his back, but rolled over and launched another bolt of electricity. Still, it was dodged.

Ceceilia coated her rubbery tail with the solid steel energy in her heart. She ran swiftly at the Krokorok, jumping and swinging her tail at him. The ground type simply opened his mouth and caught the Iron Tail, and Cece swung around and blasted a forceful Hydro Pump at his stomach. As soon as he let go, the orb in her chest froze the water she spit at him, turning it into ice. It hit the Krokorok's feet, freezing him to the ground, until a stray lightning bolt hit him. It did no damage, only breaking the ice. Cece shot another Ice Beam, and the ground type formed a rock between his claws and threw it directly at the ice, shattering the move completely and creating a wall of dust. Before it could clear, she forced a Hydro Pump out of her stomach that just barely scratched his side, throwing off his balance just a little bit. She took a chance and was at his side in a second. Cece bit down on his tail and held on tight.

The Sliggoo breathed out a bright row of burning blue flames, forcing Abbie and Cyle to split up, and began charging an orb of water. Using it to their advantage, they each shot a Shadow Ball at the dragon type, but just a second too late. He threw the orb of water into the ground, sending a surging wave of Muddy Water out. It broke the two Shadow Balls and surrounded Abbie and Cyle with a wave that pushed them out. Krokorok, Grovyle, Cecilia, and Arron were hit by it as well and washed out. When a majority of the wave had rolled down the mountain and cascaded down the waterfall, Abbie pulled herself to her feet and ran at the Sliggoo. Before he could even see her coming, she hit him with an Iron Tail, throwing him into the trunk of a tree. He fell onto the ground and Abbie ran at him again, but before she made it there, something hit her hard in the rib cage, sending her tumbling across the ground.

Grovyle dashed in a zig-zagged pattern toward the Umbreon, ready to land another hit. She got up and jumped over the grass type just as he swung his Leaf Blade again. With ample speed from his Quick Attack, he turned right around and charged at her again. Abbie wasn't ready for it, but Cecilia had her back. Before the Grovyle could hit her friend again, she launched a powerful Hydro Pump at him. The water knocked him aside like a Substitute, and Abbie ran after, him. In one swift movement, she cut the band off his neck, thus disqualifying him from the tournament.

Arron remained hanging off the side of the cliff, barely hanging onto the rock with his claws. His back paws waved in the air as he tried to get his balance, and he called out to someone to help. The edge of the waterfall hit his back, not only getting him wet but slowly making him slip off the mountain.

Cyle ran over to the cliff, seeing Arron, only to be grabbed by his back leg and thrown into the air. The Krokorok then formed another rock between his paw and launched it at him. The Umbreon focused, remembering his training, and balanced himself. He grabbed and pulled his tail, flipping around so the rock only scratched against his back, and in his chest he charged up a Shadow Ball. He ignored the pain and landed perfectly on the ground, launching his move with perfection. After the direct hit, the Krokorok was out, and Cyle proudly walked over and disabled the collar.

"We should stay out of the way while those two get picked up," Cyle said, placing the collar down beside the Krokorok.

"Still need help here!"

Cecilia, being the closest, ran over to the cliff. Arron was just about to slip off when she grabbed his paws and pulled him up. The Jolteon immediately fell on the ground and gasped.

"Don't get too excited," Abbie chuckled. "We're gonna have to get down that thing somehow tomorrow."

"Yeah, I know," Arron sighed. "But at least I won't be hanging over the side of it getting attacked by water."

Cyle looked around, only seeing the Grovyle and the Krokorok. "Guys, where's the Sliggoo?"

They all looked around, but saw no signs of the dragon type. "I thought you got him, Abbie."

She shook her head. "No the Grovyle hit me before I could." Abbie sniffed the air, finding his scent leading to the tree where they left their bags, but they were all gone. "He took the bags with him."

Arron sighed. "Well that's just great."

…

Cecilia woke up before the sun rose the next morning, finding everyone else asleep. Perfect. She stood, stretched her muscles, and rolled her neck. It rubbed uncomfortably against the white collar, but the metal of her necklace felt nice. She easily slipped it over the top of her head so that when she soaked her head with water, it wouldn't get wet and rust. With her wet, rubbery skin, the collar slipped right off while still giving off a signal that said she was still in the tournament. Cece went to put her necklace back on, when she saw Abbie, lying in the felt a terrible feeling in her stomach. Guilt. Pain. Loneliness. She didn't want Abbie to suffer with the kingdom. She wanted to tell Abbie everything, but the Umbreon wouldn't understand. Cecilia didn't want to hurt anyone. Why couldn't she leave the rest of the kingdom alone? They did nothing wrong, but there was nothing she could do. Her sorrow and anger defeated her compassion and love.

It wasn't her fault.

She picked up the necklace with the symbol of the wing and laid it next to Abbie. The dark type stirred slightly, but remained asleep. Cece quickly wrote a message in the dirt, picked up her white collar, and ran off down the mountain.


	13. Chapter 12: Two Gone, Two Left

**Chapter 12**

**Two Gone, Two Left**

Abbie started waking up. At first, she thought she saw Cece but she must've been dreaming. The Umbreon fell asleep for about an hour before fully waking up. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, adjusting her position. She felt a small jolt enter her body and winced, seeing that Arron with his electrical fur was very close to her. The dark type looked at him confusingly and stood up, ready to look over the waterfall for a good morning.

As she placed her paw down, something crunched underneath the weight, giving a sign that it was about to break. She picked up her paw and stepped back, looking at the ground. Cecilia's gold necklace was sitting in the grass, the sunlight reflecting the wing symbol. A message was carved in the dirt right by the necklace, and as Abbie read it her heart sank. She sank to the ground, feeling the water build up in her eyes, but wiping it away.

Arron yawned and stood up, smacking his lips to get that morning taste out of his mouth. He looked up, seeing clouds covering the sun and giving signs of rain. He felt the tension of electricity in the air, and knew it meant a lightning storm. Because of that, the forest could catch on fire, and they would have to refrain from swimming. The Jolteon looked behind him, expecting his friends to be sleeping, but two of them were not.

Abbie was lying on the ground, her paws covering her eyes. He could see her body shaking slightly and heard small, rough growls.

Arron sat down next to Abbie. "Hey. What's wrong?"

Abbie only pointed to the message carved in the dirt, right next to Cecilia's Jolteon recognized it, and read the message. _Abbie, I had to leave because me being here puts you in danger. Thank you for being my friend and my sister, and please keep my necklace safe. _

Cyle heard the sound of small growls and woke up. He saw Abbie lying on the ground and Arron standing awkwardly beside her, his paws shuffling. She looked upset, and that made Cyle feel bad. He walked over quietly, seeing a message on the ground just beside a gold locket, his sister's locket, and read. He bit his lip wiped his eyes with the back of his paw. He couldn't believe his sister left without saying goodbye. The Umbreon knew she was going to leave, based on the way she acted, but he thought she would say goodbye first. Cyle had a bad feeling in his stomach. If Cece left because she was a danger to them, that meant she was in trouble.

"Why did she leave?" Abbie sighed to herself, not expecting an answer.

"She's in trouble," Cyle answered, "and she didn't want to put us in danger."

Abbie shuffled up into a sitting position, but kept her eyes on the ground. "She could've asked for help, but she just left without even saying goodbye."

Cyle felt something in his chest, mixed in with the sorrow that filled the spot where his sister used to be. He looked at Abbie and felt her sorrow in him as well. Then, his instincts took over. He brushed his head under her chin and said, "Don't be sad. Cecilia's strong. She can take care of herself."

Abbie felt comfort with Cyle, and let herself be comforted. She leaned into his shoulder and he hugged her.

Arron just stood there, watching Cyle comfort Abbie. He was never really good with emotions, including his own. The Jolteon couldn't help but feel weird about what was happening. He felt…_awkward_. He should've been the one comforting Abbie. He should've been the shoulder Abbie was leaning on, not Cyle.

He blamed himself, though. Abbie wasn't going to come to him unless he let her know that she could talk to him, but it still upset him that...that Abbie was with Cyle! Arron liked her from the moment he saw her battling on the day of the test! Cyle hated her when he first met her. The prince had no right to come in.

Arron growled as he paced, not paying attention to how far away he was walking.

"I knew she was going to leave soon," Cyle admitted. "I probably should've said something but…"

"I know," Abbie interrupted softly. "Cece will protect the pokemon she cares about. I know that already. She's like my sister."

"You guys are a lot alike. You're both so strong...and stubborn."

Abbie let a small chuckle escape her throat. "You guys are alike too."

"Oh really? Name one thing we have in common."

"You...both…"Abbie struggled to think of something. "...have the same dad?"

Cyle stared at the ground, feeling a little lonely. "I wouldn't count on it."

Abbie left the warmth of Cyle's hug and looked at him questioningly. "What do you…"

A loud, crumbling-like noise interrupted Abbie, followed quickly by a yelp. Her ears shot right up and her rings brightened in alarm. She listened, hearing an echo of a bang and then a yelp. Just seconds later, she detected a faint splash, distinct from the sound of the waterfall. Then, there was nothing but silence. Abbie stood up and looked around, finding Arron missing.

She stepped out and yelled, "Arron!" When there was no answer, she yelled again, "Arron! Where are you?"

Abbie sniffed around, catching the Jolteon's scent just a few feet away from them. She followed it while Cyle searched around the trees. The scent led her close to the cliff's edge, where she found just another small whiff before it disappeared down the waterfall.

"Cyle," Abbie called quietly, taking in the evidence she was given. Then, she said louder, "Cyle."

He trotted over. "I didn't see him in…"

"He fell," Abbie stated less calmly. "Cyle he fell!"

"What?" Cyle's ears fell back in worry. He leaned over the edge of the cliff and shouted his name. "Arron!"

"We have to get down there now. He could be hurt!"

"We don't have the rope anymore, Abbie. How are we supposed to get down?"

Abbie looked all around, racking her brain for ideas. She looked over the side of the cliff again. It had a slight slant and ample ledges she could step on. She placed her front paw on one close by, and it held. Then, her other paw went down to the same ledge, but the weight was too much for the thin rock. It gave way, and Cyle caught Abbie before she could slip over.

He helped her back up and sighed. "You can't just walk down. It's gotta be at least a hundred foot drop."

"Well we can't just give up. He could be dying right now and…" Abbie looked into the Umbreon's eyes, his blue eyes, and it came to her. "Your Psychic."

"What?"

"You can use your Psychic to get us down there!"

Cyle raised an eyebrow. "I know that up until a few days ago I was using Shadow Ball on normal types, but I know for a fact that psychic type moves don't work on dark types."

"Not on us, on the ground." Abbie drew a line on the ground with her claw and pulled him inside the small area. It was barely big enough for them to fit in. "Use your Psychic on the ground and bring us down there."

Cyle scoffed. "I'm not nearly as strong as my uncle is, and even he can't move the ground. That's something ground and rock types do, not dark types."

Abbie's ears fell back. "Arron needs us. You have to at least try."

Cyle looked into the worried red eyes, knowing that Abbie believed he could do this. He sighed and closed his eyes. The energy from inside of his chest traveled through his veins to the core of his mind, where his thoughts amplified it. When he opened his eyes, they were surrounded by a pink aura, and he focused on the ground. But, his Psychic bounced off and snapped the flow of energy to his mind. He barked in pain and grabbed his head, pulling at his ears as the pain pounded against his skull.

Abbie was immediately down on the ground with him. "Cyle! Are you okay?"

The pain faded quickly, and Cyle stood up. "Yeah, yeah I'm okay." He shook his head to reset his brain. "I'm gonna try again."

This time, he kept his eyes open and focused on the grass. It rolled in the wind, and the ground was shaking slightly from the vibrations of the waterfall. The energy flowed naturally to his mind and his eyes starting glowing. Then, a crack formed in the ground along the line Abbie had drawn. A small piece of ground (though a giant one to Cyle's brain) broke off the edge of the cliff and stayed suspended in the air. It wobbled for a second, and then slowly began its descent.

Cyle was beginning to lose his focus, causing the ground they were on to shake. It was slow at first, but then the shaking grew stronger. Abbie didn't want to distract him, but she silently whispered, "Keep going." He knew she was counting on him and could hear her whispers, so he continued on, despite the energy being pulled from his chest. Soon, he began running on empty, breathing heavily to get oxygen to his tired brain.

At about six feet up from the water's surface, he fainted. The ground dropped, throwing Abbie and Cyle into the large pond. Abbie broke the surface of the water smoothly by diving and heard the way the unconscious Cyle fell in. She resurfaced for just a second, to take a deep breath of air, and went back under. She swam under him and carried him to the shore.

"Thank you," she said, rubbing her head against his.

The bottom of the waterfall was foggy, and the pressure of the pouring water against the pond made it hard to hear. Abbie took a breath of air and jumped back into the pond. She swam quickly around the bottom, looking for any signs of yellow, but, to her relief, all she found was rocks and dirt. At least Arron didn't drown. She swam back to the surface and looked around.

"Arron!" She shouted.

A moan came back to her, making her ears stand straight up. She shouted his name again and listened, hearing another moan come from her right. Abbie changed directions and began swimming. She caught a scent that smelled like wet Lillipup and saw Arron's shiny yellow fur through the fog. As she got closer, something was up with his leg, and when she got out of the water, his leg was bent backwards.

Abbie ran to the Jolteon and shook him. "Arron! Wake up!"

Arron lifted his head, saw Abbie's beautiful brown eyes, and tried to stand. A sharp bone poked his muscle, making him yelp. "My leg…" His head fell back to the ground. "...it hurts."

Without giving it a second thought, Abbie bit the collar on Arron's neck. It shocked her mouth a little, but she only bit down harder until it broke. It gave off a long, loud beep, and every other second it gave off a soft ding. Now the tracking device was on, so whoever was coming to get him would be able to find him.

Cyle began coming to. He sat up and coughed, his energy source feeling a little drained. After taking a few drinks of water and splashing some on his face, he was starting to remember what happened. He looked up, noticing that he was at the bottom of the waterfall. He also remembered Abbie's voice whispering to him, and then the warmth of her body. He smiled to himself, and then realized she wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Abbie!" He shouted. "Abbie."

The female Umbreon came jogging up. "I'm right here, and I found Arron."

Cyle jumped to his feet. "Where is he? Is he alright?"

"He will be. His leg was badly broken, so I took his collar off. A team of flying types from the castle came and got him."

"That's good." Cyle looked at the ground for a few seconds, feeling something weird in his chest. "So I guess it's just the two of us now."

"Yeah. We should get going. I only want one of us to become the fifth Gemini."

Cyle smiled and nodded, looking into her red eyes that he had come to love. Abbie felt happiness and ease being with him.


	14. Chapter 13: Legends

**Chapter 13**

**Legends**

Abbie walked alongside Cyle. "I'm just worried about him."

"He'll be fine. My dad has a lot of nurses that can fix a broken bone easy and quick."

They walked into the forest, away from the only source of water they knew. As Umbreons, they could both last for a couple days without something to drink, but it could affect their fighting abilities. They also had no food to eat, which could really set them back in the tournament. But, even with those two factors, they could last at least two days without food and water. Abbie loved being a dark type and couldn't imagine what it would be like if the test had chosen for her.

She didn't understand what the result of her test meant. Abbie knew that it meant she couldn't be held back by physical attributes, but there was something else behind it. She was told not to tell anyone about her evolution results, but why? Was something wrong with her?

Cyle noticed his friend thinking about something. She was staring at the ground, deep inside her own mind. Abbie frowned, making him frown as well. He was curious to know what she was thinking about that made her express the emotions in her mind.

"Abbie, is there something you want to talk about?" Cyle asked, turning his head to look at her.

She hesitated, and said, "No. I'm okay."

"Just tell me if you change your mind, then."

"Actually," Abbie changed her mind quickly, deciding to take Cyle's kindness to help her. "I need to ask you something?"

"Sure, anything."

Abbie inhaled, ready to lie a little bit. "Well, I was reading this book and it was talking about the various results and Eevee can get after the test. It said one of the results was not getting a result at all. What does that mean?"

After all the years of lessons and reading, Cyle could finally answer a question right. "The actual term for that is Descending."

"Descending," Abbie whispered to herself. "Why is it called that?"

"Ancient tribes in this land believed that when a pokemon died before they had a chance to evolve, they were thought to be a descendant of Yveltal. So when the test was first developed, there was a thought that an Eevee would show no specific result because it was never meant to evolve before it died, thus they were Yveltal's descendant. But now pretty much everyone has abandoned that idea since there has been no Eevee without a result. Recently, though, a lot of pokemon think that an Eevee with that result is the sole Descendant of Yveltal and possess his powers of death, and they've started calling him the Descending One."

Abbie's heart rate increased. Was she a descendant of Yveltal? "What does it mean to be Descending?"

"Well no one can prove this, but it means that an Eevee has no specific traits of one evolution. And, according to pokemon who study legends and mythology, the Descending One is able to use the Wild One Crysti. All three kingdoms know about this. How have you not heard?"

Abbie couldn't think anymore. She didn't get a result for the test, and the pokemon told her not to tell anyone. What if she was the descendant of Yveltal? Did that mean she could kill a lot of pokemon? Her heart beat a mile a minute. She was worried that she could hurt a lot of pokemon. Did that mean she wasn't the Descending One?

"I didn't know there were three kingdoms," Abbie stated calmly, keeping the conversation going. "What are the other two?"

"There's Earth Kingdom to the northwest. We import some of the foods and minerals from them. Most of everyone there is either rock, ground, steel, or fire type."

"What about the other one?"

Cyle was spitting out information that was programmed into his head. "Oblivion Kingdom, just northeast. Something happened about seven years ago between them and us, and now we barely have anything to do with them. I don't think they agree with us having the Gemini, but I know they've been spending a lot of time and resources researching the Wild One legend."

"I've heard about it, but I've never actually heard it. Do you think you can tell me?"

"Sure."

…

_A creature ran through the forest, panting heavily. The leaves hid its colorful horns from the creature chasing it from above. However, its footsteps could be heard by the other pokemon following it underground. Xerneas ran forward, determined not to let Yveltal catch up with her. Her blade-like hooves trampled the ground, and every few seconds she could feel the earth below her tremble. She jumped down a high waterfall that was misty at the bottom, hoping it would help hide her._

_A red beam shot from the skies, slicing through several trees in front of Xerneas. The plants leaned and fell in front of the fairy type's path, making her stop in her tracks. She could try jumping over the logs, but that would definitely give away her position. Instead, Xerneas had to fight. She couldn't run forever. So, after touching the fallen trees with her horn, the Life pokemon dashed out of the forest, glancing back to see them covered with new life._

_A pokemon, primarily colored red and black, flew over a dense forest. He was sure he saw Xerneas run through it. Her horns glowed brightly when she was in Active mode, so there was no hiding. She shouldn't have grown back his home: a beautifully dead forest full of fire. And that Xerneas! She grew thousands of plants right in his territory. Now bunches of other pokemon live in his home._

_Yveltal saw a color flash. He pulled the dark energy from the orb in his heart, focusing it into a single beam. Oblivion Wing pierced through the trunks of several fully grown tree, killing them instantly. They toppled onto each other, revealing the colorful gems of Xerneas's horns. However, she didn't jump over them like Yveltal predicted. Instead, the fairy type left the coverage of the forest and decided to fight._

"_Why must you persist in this fighting?" Xerneas asked, her gems glowing. "There is nothing to gain from this!"_

"_You took my home from me!" Yveltal growled, his glowing heart seen from outside his chest. "I will make sure that you never do that again!"_

"_You kill so many living things! I make sure that every life is protected!"_

"_These living things have no purpose in the world! They will all eventually die!"_

_Zygarde watched the Life and Destruction pokemon fight each other for years. Usually he was able to break up their conflict and keep peace in the ecosystem. He was the Order pokemon after all. But this time, they had gone too far. Xerneas and Yveltal were both at fault this time._

_The ground type was listening to them argue. He was praying to Arceus that they wouldn't start fighting. If they did, he would have no choice. Zygarde would have to stop them. He felt the earth shake, knowing that Yveltal landed on the ground. He could feel moves charging, so he did what he had to. The Order pokemon released a golden energy into the earth. It shook violently, stopping the attacks._

_Zygarde resurfaced between the feuding pokemon. "You both must stop this at once. Your silly little fight could destroy the Earth!"_

"_Stay out of this!" Yveltal barked, his tail digging into the ground. "You know nothing about this planet! The only thing you do is bury your head in the sand!"_

_Zygarde growled. "If you keep killing these living things without purpose the entire world will fall!"_

"_Get out of my way or else!" Yveltal threatened, shooting an attack that was meant to miss Zygarde. _

_The ground type didn't even flinch. "Since you refuse to listen, I have no choice."_

_The five frills coming out of Zygarde's neck flashed in a pattern. He growled loudly, shaking the earth itself. He had to remind himself that Yveltal had this coming. A silver beam shot from the middle frill, hitting the Destruction pokemon. In an instant, Yveltal was transformed into a mere cocoon, becoming sleepier with every passing second. Zygarde flicked his frills and the sleepy legendary disappeared._

_Xerneas sighed in relief. With Yveltal gone, she could regrow everything he destroyed without worrying about him. She approached Zygarde, watching him breathe heavily and look at the ground. Xerneas knew that he didn't want to do that. He had tried many times not to, but Yveltal was too stubborn._

"_Thank you, Zygarde." Xerneas praised, taking a step back as the pokemon faced her. "With Yveltal gone, I can restore the balance."_

_The Life pokemon started to walk away, but Zygarde stopped her. "I'm sorry Xerneas," he said, making her turn around in confusion, "but you have a similar fate as Yveltal."_

_Xerneas backed away in fear. "No, no you wouldn't. I am needed here to help living things."_

"_While you help creatures, you are at fault just as much as Yveltal. Not everything can stay alive forever."_

_Xerneas ran into the forest as Zygarde prepared to put her to sleep. It had to be done; they were both so stubborn. Running was no good, and the fairy type was hit by the silver beam. She transformed into a seemingly dead tree, left in an endless sleep._

…

"So Zygarde cursed them with sleep. He did that because they kept competing with each other. Xerneas was trying to have life triumph, while Yveltal wanted destruction to triumph."

Abbie understood all but one thing. "Why is that called the legend of the Wild One? There were three of them. Is Zygarde the Wild One?"

"Hold on, hold on. I'm getting there," Cyle said. "Xerneas and Yveltal didn't fall asleep right away. They knew that their power was needed to keep the ecosystem alive. So, Xerneas used the power from the crystals on her horns to make four gems to be given to the protectors of our kingdom. The legend also says that she used the power from her heart to make a fifth one which will be given to the fifth Gemini, also known as the Wild One. That pokemon will be able to counter death's grip."

Abbie waited, not wanting to interrupt, but Cyle was done. "What about Yveltal?"

"What about him?"

"Well if Xerneas made something to make sure her power could protect everyone, why wouldn't Yveltal? I don't think he wants Xerneas's power to triumph."

"I don't know. The legend just says that he fell asleep. It didn't say he made anything for his power to continue."

"But what if he did?"

"He didn't Abbie. It's no use to worry about it."

Abbie looked at the ground. It didn't make any sense. They both needed their power to be continued by a different pokemon, so why would Xerneas be the only one to do something? Based on the legend, Yveltal was stubborn and relentless so he wouldn't just give up. The female dark type sighed. She hated when she got unanswered questions.

Then the thought of the Descending One returned. Yveltal probably didn't make an object, but a pokemon. Her. Abbie was falling deeper and deeper into the thought that she was made to control death.. The thought that she could end up wanting to hurt, to kill, other pokemon. It made her life source shake.

"Hey, Abbie!" Cyle called. Abbie still looked pretty restless, but he hoped to cheer her up. "You wanna see something cool?"

Abbie glanced at him. "Like what?"

"Follow me!"

Cyle ran through the forest with the other Umbreon tailing him. In about thirty seconds, she had completely caught up with him. Since he had first evolved, Cyle had gotten faster, but not as fast as Abbie. He looked around, knowing the same trees with the same scratches. The dead tree should be around here somewhere…

Abbie's ears pricked up. Something echoed in her ears. While Cyle kept running forward, the voice made her stop. She turned to the left and started that way. Something was calling her over. Abbie ran until she tripped over a root. She rolled multiple times, only to stop in front of a dead tree. The branches were gnarled and crooked, giving them a scary look. The Umbreon scrambled to her paws and backed away.

"_Your power…"_

"Abbie. You found it." Cyle walked next to the startled Umbreon. "What's wrong? Is everything okay?"

"It said something." Abbie stated, barely above a whisper. "I heard it."

Cyle laughed. "There's no way it said anything. Besides, this tree isn't even Xerneas."

"Wait? That dead tree is Xerneas?"

"Supposedly, but my uncle says that since the Gemini can't communicate with her that this isn't really her. Still, Xerneas is somewhere out there."

"Are you sure this isn't her? I could've sworn that I heard a voice."

"It was probably just the wind, Abbie."

Abbie walked carefully up to the tree. A white light courses through it like blood coursed through veins, making Abbie feel life within it. But, the bark was a gray color, and the branches were twisted and knotted. It looked as if one was touched it would instantly snap. She placed a paw on the tree trunk, and warmth traveled through her veins. It felt like something she knew, yet couldn't identify, almost like…

Suddenly, a spark flew up her leg, causing her to yelp. She pulled back quickly, creating another spark that threw itself at the dead grass. It quickly caught flame, sending out a wave of heat and pushing Abbie away. The fire spread, burning bushes and trees. Soon the fire was all around them, the small flames licking at their heels and the heat causing them to sweat.

"Abbie we need to leave!" Cyle said, pushing her along.

"But Xerneas!"

"Abbie it's just a tree!"

A tree cracked and leaned to one side, creaking as it started falling. Abbie pushed Cyle and dove out of the way just as it smashed into the ground with another soft crack. She yelped and pulled at her leg, but her foot was stuck under the tree. Smoke began to fill the air and her lungs, making her cough and wheeze. More trees toppled over, completely blocking the path for Cyle to get to Abbie.

He jumped up and shouted, "Don't worry, I'll find another way."

Abbie's lungs felt like they were on fire and the world was red and bright and hot. She struggled to stay awake, but her eyes slipped closed.


	15. Chapter 14: A Friend From the Past

**Chapter 14**

**A Friend From The Past**

"_Just wait until I'm king. Getting rid of that stupid evolution test is the first thing I'll do."_

_Three small Eevee tackled each other head on, scratching and biting. They practiced their defending and attacking stances while going through their dodging motion. One Eevee, probably the oldest, was taller than the others, the second, the middle, was slightly shorter but obviously very strong, and the youngest was the cutest. The middle and youngest Eevee both had deep, bright blue eyes._

"_You're not going to become king, Smoke. I am."_

"_Well, I'm second in line, Shadow." Leone stated, swiping his claws at the youngest Eevee, and then joked, "You never know when something might happen."_

_The youngest one dodged all of them with his speed. "C'mon you've gotta be faster than that!"_

_Shadow snuck up from behind and kicked the back of his legs, causing him to fall over. "You mean like that, Sparky?" Him and Smoke laughed._

"_Aw c'mon guys," Sparky complained, shuffling up into a sitting position. "That's so double teaming."_

"_No, it's called strategy." Smoke said. "Which is why, Shadow, when you evolve and become king, Sparky and I will tell father we want to wait until you get rid of the Eevee test, so that we can choose which evolution we want."_

_Shadow was quiet for a minute. "You guys know that I have no problem with the evolution test, which is why I'm not getting rid of it."_

"_What? Why?"Smoke said angrily, standing tall._

"_Because it's part of our tradition, Smoke. We can't just throw that away. Eevee are sacred and should be treated as such."_

"_Hey guys," Sparky piped up cautiously. "Maybe we…"_

"_That's not fair!" Smoke growled. "Why should some stupid test determine what I become?"_

"_Because that's the way it is!" Shadow yelled. "You'll become whatever you're strongest as!"_

"_We should be able to choose!" Smoke had his teeth bared and his claws out, letting his temper get to him. "Are you really gonna make Sparky become something he doesn't want?"_

"_Don't try to pin it on Spark! You only care about what you evolve into! That's the only reason you want the test gone!"_

"_What about all of the other Eevee? The girls who want to be a beautiful Sylveon or Glaceon, or the guys who don't want to look like a girl, who want to be an Umbreon or Jolteon. What about them?"_

_Shadow barked loudly at his younger brother. "It's tradition. I'm not…"_

"_What are you boys arguing about this time?"_

_Shadow, Smoke, and Sparky looked to the entrance of the training room to see an Umbreon come in. On her head was a tiara, simple but noticeable. The three brothers looked at each other uneasily, and then at their mother. _

"_Well?"_

_Sparky piped up. "I asked who they thought was going to win the Red Bandana Tournament."_

_Their mother looked toward Smoke and Shadow, and they nodded. She knew that was not what they were arguing about, but if the two oldest didn't say anything it couldn't have been very serious. "Alright then. Come, all of you. It's time for you to evolve."_

"_Even me too, Mom?" Sparky asked excitedly._

_The queen chuckled. "Yes, you too. Let's go to the testing room and find out which evolution you three shall receive."_

_Shadow glared at Smoke as they walked out, a sign to tell him that he was not getting rid of the test. Sparky looked at his two older brothers, seeing how mad they were at each other. Sure, they had been mad before, but not this badly. Smoke wanted so badly to evolve into what he chose, but he did care about other pokemon too. The youngest Eevee sighed to himself, not knowing what the future had in store._

"_Wake...up…"_

Abbie's eyes fluttered open, seeing the red fire dancing around struggled to move the branch that landed on her, but it was too heavy. The scorching hot wood singed straight through her fur, piercing her skin with pain. She howled loudly, hoping Cyle would find his way toward her. Everything around the Umbreon was red and gray and growing. Despite the pain, she wiggled around, able to move the wood off the spot of her blistering skin. However, it only started breaking down the next patch of fur right around her ankle.

Attack. The energy jumped straight from her heart to her mouth, forming the dark sphere in front of her mouth. Abbie let it fly toward the tree. The impact seemed more dangerous than the fire. She quickly covered her eyes, which were watering due to the smoke. Giant chunks of wood pounded her back, but she held her defensive position. The Umbreon stood up quickly and ran.

"_Don't leave…_"

Abbie looked back at the tree. Xerneas would surely die if she left this area without doing something. But if she did try to save it, they might both die. The dark type shook her head and ran back toward the withered plant. The fire was starting to spread toward it. Right now would be a really good time to have Cece with her water type moves. Abbie didn't have time to wish, though, she had to do something.

Not too many trees were on fire. If she was able to cut them down and put the fire out, it wouldn't spread any further. But how was Abbie supposed to extinguish the flames? She tried stepping on a small piece of grass, which worked, but she couldn't step on a bunch of logs. She racked her brain for ideas but nothing came to mind.

"_The cold…"_

The voice was consistent, so much that Abbie knew she was hearing it. The cold? The cold! That was it. Dark type moves were cold. Fires relied on heat, but without it they can't burn.

…

A Raichu walked through the forest. It felt so nice. Ever since he evolved from a Pikachu and entered the competition, he grew stronger. Everything became easier for him. It was all because of that nice Eevee who gave him the Thunderstone. Her name was Abbie, wasn't it?

A smoky scent filled Colt's nose. He sniffed the air a couple more times before determining that there was a fire. He looked at the sky and saw smoke floating just above the treetops. There _was_ a fire. The Raichu knew he needed to avoid that area, but what if someone was in that fire? Colt never turned down a pokemon in need, even if that pokemon was his competition.

He made up his mind and ran. He would just take a quick look and if he didn't see anything…

Colt stopped moving. He could see the red flames already in front of him. Inside the fire, he saw an Umbreon completely passed out. Without even thinking, he ran toward it. The scent from the dark type was smoky, which meant that he had been in the fire. It was that prince boy. Wasn't his name Cyle? The Raichu gritted his teeth and jumped over a line of fire, pain searing his stomach. He sucked it up and pulled Cyle by the scruff of his neck. Colt yanked and pushed the dark type body, trying to get them away from the fire. Once a decent distance away, he left the unconscious pokemon under the shade of a tree where he could breathe clean air.

Colt started running back, coming across slightly familiar ground. A tree was sliced through and toppled onto other burning logs. Another fell, joining the pile. A familiar scent touched his nose. It smelled like Abbie, but there was no way she could've been here.

An Umbreon shot across his line of vision. The light from the fire glinted off her iron coated tail. She jumped and twisted, creating a huge dent in a tree. The dark type hit the other side, except higher so that it would fall over. She was trying to keep the fire from spreading, but why? The Umbreon ran again, only for a branch to hit her right, back ankle. Even Colt heard the snap. She yowled in pain and pulled her paw out.

"Abbie!"

Abbie didn't hear the Raichu, but saw him. She gave him no attention and continued to help Xerneas. Her muscles were aching and her lungs felt like they were being constricted. She lacked fresh air, but she had to keep going. The tree Abbie was about to cut down fell onto the pile itself, revealing the electric type with an Iron Tail ready. His sharp tail sliced straight through another thick log, sending it tumbling.

It was the last one. The Umbreon ignored the Raichu again, running straight to Xerneas's side. Colt looked at her weirdly. Was she really trying to save a dead tree?

"_Dark Pulse…"_

Abbie focused all of the dark energy in her heart. She imagined a cold wave sweeping through the forest, a shiver rolling up her spine. In her mind, the red world turned to yellow from the bright sun. She forced all the energy out of her paws, seeing black pulses rush through the air. The flames were out immediately, as if someone had poured a huge bucket of water on the forest.

The Umbreon hit the ground, completely exhausted. Her lungs were filled with smoke and patches of fur were burnt. Worst of all, her ankle was in terrible condition. After the fur was singed off and a branch hit it, it must've been sprained badly. It felt as if she was wearing something that restricted the motion of her ankle.

Colt walked up to his friend. "Hey Abbie," he greeted gleefully. "Remember me?"

Abbie lifted her ears in confusion. "Uh, I don't think I've ever met a Raichu before. You must have the wrong pokemon."

"Nope." The electric type shook his head. "It's Colt! I was the little Pikachu you saved from the Eelektrik. You gave me the Thunderstone!"

The memories flooded back to the Umbreon's head. "Colt!" Abbie stood up momentarily, feeling a sharp pain stab her ankle. "You look so different! I can't believe I didn't recognize you."

"I know! It's so amazing. You look a lot different from your normal self, too! I never would've thought you'd get an Umbreon."

"Well what did you think I would get?"

"I thought either a Sylveon or a Glaceon. Something girly like that."

"Funny." Abbie said sarcastically, earning a laugh from Colt. "Thanks for your help. I couldn't have put the fire out without you."

"Oh, no problem. What were you doing anyway?"

Abbie thought about telling Colt about Xerneas, but she didn't know if it was a good idea. Sometimes pokemon just don't understand. "I just didn't want the forest to burn." She lied. "I should probably keep going."

The Umbreon stood up, pain yelling at her brain. She barely placed her back paw on the ground for a second when it started burning. She was forced only to use three paws. Abbie started walking unbalanced while Colt followed her. He saw that the skin was swollen so she probably sprained it. It was twisted into a wrong position too. But he didn't say anything, thinking that she just wanted to keep going. It almost hurt the Raichu to watch her limp that way. After a closer look, he saw the some of the skin around the joint was burned.

"Abbie," Colt called, stopping the Umbreon. "You should really stay off that ankle."

"I can't." She responded, starting her slow walk again. "I plan to win the competition because I don't really have anywhere else to go after this."

"Well can I at least fix it?"

"How?"

Colt revealed a small slice of an Oran berry that he was holding between his paws. He gestured for Abbie to sit down, able to convince her that he wouldn't need it for himself anyway. The Raichu carefully squeezed the juice out, watching as they were absorbed into the cut. The Umbreon winced at the stinging, but saw how helpful the Oran actually was. That amount of pain she was through meant that her paw was sprained, but at least the skin was fixing itself. Now Abbie would be able to walk on it without worrying about something getting in. She placed pressure on her paw only to get a needle stabbed through the muscles. She picked it up quickly and winced, dabbing it with her front paw. That hurt, but not as badly as before.

Colt laughed. "See, I told you it would feel better."

"Thanks," Abbie responded, smiling. "I hope you'll be okay without it."

"I'll be fine." The Raichu said, shuffling his paws. "So, will you be okay without me?"

"Are you joking? I'm always fine on my own. The paw is nothing!"

The electric type giggled and waved goodbye as he ran off. Abbie noticed he was going in the wrong direction and shouted it at him, but he didn't hear. She rolled her eyes and continued walking. Colt was actually a big help. He fixed her ankle so that she could keep going toward her goal.

Abbie hoped that Cyle was ok, but she figured he could tell the fire was out, so he was probably going for the flag. It had to be close, and Abbie wasn't planning on losing.


	16. Chapter 15: Life Outside

**Chapter 15**

**Life Outside**

Kelly's eyes were able to see everything clearly despite how late at night it was. She could see the feathery pokemon trying to hide its red wings inside some leaves like they always did. It wasn't trying to fly away, because that would attract other predators such as Noctowl and then it would really be in trouble. The Spearow could feel danger around, but it didn't know that it was the pokemon in danger. The brown, fox-like pokemon crouched low in the tall grass, watching the Spearow move.

She jumped silently with her sharp teeth bared. The Spearow heard her just a second too late. Kelly's claws hooked onto its fragile wing, dragging it to the ground. She swiftly bit a nerve in its neck, killing the pokemon instantly. The Eevee yawned and lay down by her dinner. She bit into the soft meat and didn't even chew before swallowing. Spearow meat was always the best food any young cub could hunt. They weren't rare, but they weren't easy to catch either.

Outside the castle walls of three kingdoms was an entirely different way of life. Inside those stone boundaries, it was wrong to kill any type of pokemon no matter what. However, all three kingdoms lack pokemon such as Stantler, Magikarp, and Spearow, which barely seem to be alive since they can't speak or think for themselves. All they know is to avoid predators, eat, and reproduce. In the wide area between the walls, packs of wild pokemon hunt these creatures for food. Some packs consist of several different species while others contain only one.

Kelly loved her home, despite its drawbacks. She lived in the middle of a dense, semi-tropical forest with a wide river separating two packs, or tribes as they were called. Kelly belonged to the Dark Tribe which strictly consisted of Umbreon. The Dark Tribe often feuded with the Light Tribe that only had Espeon. In recent days, the Lights recruited a couple of Ditto in hopes to trick some Umbreon.

It wasn't always that way; tension between the tribes. A long time ago, a leader of the Dark Tribe sent away two baby Eevee as part of an experiment. Since then, the Light Tribe had been trying to kidnap the Dark's cubs. The Umbreon leader was banished from the pack, and a new Umbreon took his place. Espeon never let that go, saying that the minute they stop trying the Dark Tribe will do it again.

Despite the hatred for each other, the packs met in peace once every three months by the river that separated their lands. Sometimes, an Eevee born into the Dark Tribe will appreciate the day time more and join the Light Tribe. Sometimes it was the other way around, but they still tried to keep it peaceful. A lot of the time, Kelly wondered why those two Eevee were the cause of the feud.

"Kelly...Kelly!"

The Eevee finished her Spearow quickly. Her dad was calling for her, probably because she didn't do her part for the pack. Kelly ran toward the voice, soon running into a tall, sturdy Umbreon. He looked down at her and chuckled. The normal type smiled at her father and giggled, resetting her paws to a better position.

"Hi Daddy," she said a little too loudly. "What did I do now?"

He rolled his eyes and smiled at his daughter's weirdness. "Actually it's what you didn't do. As the leader's daughter, you are supposed to hunt for the new moms and gather berries. You need to go pick some Oran before the sun rises, got it?"

"Got it," Kelly sighed, knowing it was useless to argue with her dad. "I'll try to get some Sitrus too."

"Thank you. Don't forget about the meeting later."

The Dark Tribe leader walked away and Kelly sighed. No matter what Kelly said, her father wasn't going to change. He always put the pack before his daughter so naturally they never spent any father-daughter time together. The Eevee didn't even think he cared about her anymore.

Luckily, her chore would be done pretty early and she might be able to play with some of her friends. Kelly knew exactly where to find an Oran berry bush, but it would be a little risky. She would need to go into Light territory, but it was only right by the river. If the Eevee was lucky, the Espeon were still hiding some of the Sitrus berries between the thorns.

The river water was moving so fast that it sounded like dozens of pokemon were splashing in it. Kelly quickly ran through, not bothering to hide herself. Carelessness was one of her traits. The berry bush was right along the river's edge next to some trees where it could easily get water. It was also where the Eevee could transport berries to the other side without leaving paw prints in the dirt. Her plan was foolproof.

Kelly picked off five berries at a time, gripping the short stems in her mouth. She trudged back through the water, hiding the Orans in her own territory. She continued transferring the healing fruits, going back and forth and back and forth so many times that she accidentally brought one back to the original spot. However, Kelly only had one more trip to take. It was the two Sitrus berries hidden inside all the thorns.

"I don't get why we're trying to find those cubs."

The Eevee's ears shot up. She looked to the right, spotting two Espeon coming down the riverside. She glanced back at her own territory. There was no time to go back without being seen and Kelly couldn't hide underwater unless she wanted to drown. She had to take a chance. The normal type jumped out of the water and hid in the tree's shadows. She would be able to see when it was safe to go back.

The two Espeon didn't plan on leaving right away. They stopped by the river and took a drink, sharing the Sitrus berry stock hidden inside the Oran bush. Kelly sighed. Looks like she wasn't getting those rare berries.

"I've told you like five times!" An Espeon growled. "How many more times do I have to explain it?"

The younger Espeon dragged his paw against his face. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Just explain it one more time. Pretend I'm a cub and explain every detail."

"You _are_ a cub." The first one mumbled.

"Just one more time. I promise."

"Do you know those Gemini in Auras kingdom?" The first psychic type asked. The second Espeon nodded in response. "Well there are these little gems that can affect those pokemon in a terrible way. Whoever controls those minerals can control the Gemini and all three kingdoms, including the packs in between."

"But why are we searching for the two cubs the Dark Tribe sent away?"

"I'm getting there. In a legend it says that a pokemon will be able to defeat all four Gemini, but there's a huge problem. No one in all three kingdoms knows who that pokemon is. So if one of the two cubs is that pokemon it will be our fault because we didn't try to find them!"

"Okay, okay, I get it now, but I don't think it really matters. They're only two pokemon out of what? Like a million?"

The first Espeon smacked the other upside the head. "You're an idiot."

They both started walking again, not even noticing that Kelly was watching them. She gulped. Was it really possible that she could go from a pokemon of freedom to just a mere slave? The Eevee didn't want that to happen; she wanted to tell her dad. Kelly ran into the river, knocked over a few times by her lack of balance.

But she stopped in the middle of the water. She couldn't go tell her dad! He would ask how she found out and Kelly would have to tell him that she went into Light territory. Everyone would think she was a traitor. No Dark Tribe member ever entered the other's territory before becoming one of them, and they would think she was trying to help them. Finding out that Kelly was entering Light Tribe land would make both her and her father become expelled from their only home.

She couldn't tell her dad. She couldn't tell anyone.

Kelly finished her job and brought some Spearow, along with the Oran berries that nearly got her caught, to the new mothers. They thanked her and invited her to stay for a while and talk. Of course she did, because she liked that type of thing. Kelly also enjoyed playing with some of the young Eevee. They were cute and very playful.

Soon, though, she had to leave because the meeting was about to start, and she had to be there. Since the mothers couldn't go, Kelly needed to tell them everything that happened, but she would've preferred to stay with the mothers. She left the large den and headed to the largest tree in the forest, where about fifty Umbreon were gathered. She found her father sitting on the ledge that jutted out from the tree and sat under him.

He got the attention of everyone and started the meeting. "First on our agenda is the recent recruitment of Ditto to the Light Tribe."

"Duke, I caught one of the Ditto transforming into an Umbreon and trying to sneak into the tribe's food supply.

"I saw an Umbreon I didn't know lurking around."

"Calm down, calm down." Kelly's father, Duke, managed to get everyone's voice level down. "If anyone sees an unidentifiable Umbreon I want you to either drive them out or capture them immediately."

"Oh don't worry! I'll make sure I get 'em!"

"Thank you, Claire." Duke said. "Next, we need to expand the search perimeters for Booker. I will personally ask the leader of Light, although…"

"Those Espeon won't tell the truth! They're the ones who probably have him!"

Even though it happened few times, Kelly was getting tired of everyone interrupting. It wasn't her father's fault; everyone was just worried and restless and nervous. Booker has been gone for a while now and the Espeon were sticking their noses where they didn't belong.

Kelly growled loudly, catching everyone's attention. She jumped up next to her father on the tree's ledge. "Booker has been gone for a long time, but if the Light Tribe had him they'd know it would only lead to war with us. While they have been deceiving us with their Ditto allies, I believe they are just trying to figure out what's going on with the Wild One."

There were several gasps, but Kelly continued. "We all know that Auras Kingdom is in the process of selecting the Wild One, and since both Tribes know the legend I'm pretty sure we're all nervous." She turned to her father. "I suggest that you talk with the leader soon and tell him that we don't know anything about the Wild One, and propose that we try to work together. As for everyone else I want you to start using your Call in the searches. We need to find Booker soon."

After the meeting, everyone congratulated Kelly, saying that she led the meeting very well. Everyone, that is, except her dad.


	17. Chapter 16: Race to the Finish

**Chapter 16**

**Race to The Finish**

Cyle stared through the smoke, seeing Abbie's paw trapped under a fallen tree. The polluted air poured into his eyes and throat, making it hard to see or breathe. But he needed to go help his friend. He couldn't just leave Abbie to die in the fire! Cyle scratched his red and watery eyes, trying to look through the smoke. He could still save her.

A tree trunk was completely destroyed by the fire. It leaned and toppled several others over. They fell directly between Abbie and Cyle, forcing him to back away. The searing flames touched his paws, pushing him even further away by using pain. At this point, he couldn't even hope to see. He needed to run before he died in the fire.

"Don't worry! I'll find another way!" Cyle shouted, running away from the spreading fire. "I promise!"

The last two words were drowned out by a sizzling noise. Abbie was howling with pain, but she wasn't loud enough to go over the noise. Cyle was running blindly, sensing the obstacles in his path. He could feel the fire trying to catch up with him, but he couldn't go fast enough to outrun it.

The Umbreon's lungs were burning badly and the scent made him want to throw up. He inhaled too much smoke to be running, and his burnt paws weren't helping. So, he sat down to rest for just a few seconds. Cyle's vision was blurred and blinded by water and smoke. He didn't even see the fire surround the area and trapping him.

His body couldn't take anymore while he was conscious. Cyle's mind instinctively made him sleep. His heart rate slowed down just a little bit. His body didn't have to work as hard since his mind didn't need as much energy. The Umbreon lay there in the middle of the fire, hopelessly left to die.

However, the hope wasn't all gone. A Raichu approached the fire, tilting its head at seeing the unconscious pokemon. He sniffed the air, and the prince's scent filled his nose. Colt realized he had to do something before Cyle died. Even though this was a competition, he didn't really care about winning.

The Raichu gritted his teeth and jumped over a line of fire, pain searing his stomach. He sucked it up and pulled Cyle by the scruff of his neck. Colt pulled and yanked and pushed the dark type body, trying to get them away from the fire. Once a decent distance away, he left the unconscious pokemon under the shade of a tree where he could breathe clean air.

...

"Hey? Hey!"

Cyle was shaken back and forth. His muscles were aching and the air he was breathing felt polluted. He heard a faint voice enter his head, but had no idea who it was. He groaned as he was yanked to his feet. The muscles in his body complained at the heat and movement. How in Arceus's name did he end up here?

"Are you alright?"

The Umbreon blinked his burning eyes several times. He definitely heard someone that time. That pokemon had to be the one that made him stand up, and who woke him up. Cyle rubbed his eyes and blinked once more. There was a Raichu standing in front of him with a smile plastered across its face. He took a few steps back to see that the electric type was holding an Oran berry.

Cyle took a few moments to process the words. "Oh, uh, yeah. I'm fine."

The Raichu sighed in relief. "That's a relief. I'm Colt, by the way." He extended a brown paw to which Cyle shook with his black one.

"So, where am I, exactly?"

"Not too far from where I found you. I think you passed out after inhaling too much smoke from the fire."

Cyle's memory returned. He remembered the smoke, the fire, the pain from the flames. The scene of Abbie trapped under the burning trees flooded in. The male Umbreon looked around everywhere, darting from tree to tree expecting to find his friend lying there. Instead, he only found grass or some bushes.

"Abbie!" Cyle shouted. His panicked voice was clear to the Raichu. "Abbie! Are you okay?!"

The young prince, while remembering the fire, didn't remember running around to get to Abbie. He didn't remember passing out, or Colt bringing him into clean air. Cyle was completely hopeless when he passed out. The Raichu was actually laughing at how funny his panicking was. He debated whether telling the prince what happened, or watching this mess unfold.

Colt chuckled and did the right thing. "Hey Umbreon."

The dark type stopped searching for smoke and looked toward the Raichu. "What do you want?" He asked rudely.

"I would think that you would be nicer to the pokemon that saved your life…" Colt fiddled with his paws. "…but I guess not."

Cyle stopped in his tracks. "Wait? Did you just say you saved my life?"

"Uh, yes. You passed out somewhere over there," Colt pointed north to show where he had dragged the Umbreon from. "The fire was about to burn you."

"Oh, um, thanks," The prince didn't know what to say, but Abbie flickered back into his head. She needed to be found. "Um… What about that Umbreon girl I was with?"

"Oh, Abbie?"

"Yes! Yes, is she okay?"

"Yup. She's fine, just a sprained ankle. Possible broken. I helped her put out a fire. It seemed like she was trying to save a dead tree."

Cyle knew what Abbie was really trying to do: save Xerneas. "Do you know where she went? I have to find her!"

"Yeah, she's headed toward the flag. It's about half a mile north, and it's glowing pretty brightly."

"How would you know that? Were you at the flag?"

"Oh yeah. Master Zen, King Breo, and Queen Clariana were all waiting there."

"Not that I'm complaining, but why didn't you grab the flag?"

"To be honest, it's not something I want. I have a family, food, a house, and I'm strong enough to protect them. If you ask me, Abbie's the one who deserves it the most. She's strong, and if you didn't know she saved me back in Wisp Town and gave me her Thunderstone."

Cyle didn't notice Colt's goodbye, or that he started walking. Ideas and thoughts were haunting his head. If it really came down to Abbie and him, would he let her take the flag? It wouldn't seem right to just take a good life away from her. He already had a good home, so maybe it wasn't a bad idea to let her win. They would live together, too. She was actually a pretty okay pokemon when you got used to her.

The male Umbreon shook his head, snapping himself out of the trance. What in Arceus's name was he _thinking_?! He was really going to throw away his _dream_ for some girl! The true fifth Gemini was going to be revealed in this competition. He couldn't go easy on anyone, especially that death trap. Abbie was much stronger and faster than any pokemon. If she was really meant to be the Wild One, she would win this thing. Cyle couldn't go easy on her.

…

Abbie's ankle was throbbing with pain, despite the fact that she was walking on her three good legs. She had glanced at it several times after Colt left, noticing the position it had taken. It was twisted at least ninety degrees to the left, but she didn't intend to keep it that way, and had tried moving it back to the original position. Of course, her muscles wouldn't listen to her because of too much pain.

She sighed and sat down. Sitting wasn't a good idea, especially when she could _feel_ the flag close by. Her ankle needed attention, though, and if she ignored it the consequences could be devastating. Abbie extended her right leg forward, knowing that her ankle was broken. She tried turning her paw to face forward, but pain stabbed it, making her cringe. There was nothing she could do except keep walking and hope it was okay.

Oh, how the Umbreon wanted to run. She wanted to sprint all the way to the red flag and run for a mile longer. The fact that she couldn't run made her want to run even more. Her ankle felt weighed down, probably because it was swollen, but what could she do? There was absolutely no ice around, and that might not even help with a broken ankle. She was starting to feel a little defeated.

But then, she saw it. A faint, red glow entered her eyes which could only be the light of the flag. Abbie could see a clearing just ahead, and her hopes were refilled. She walked as fast as she could on three legs. There were no sounds from nearby, which meant that no one else found the flag, or another pokemon was just farther away.

Abbie emerged from the forest through a few branches, shaking the leaves off her head. The wind blew softly on the familiar red flag always around the castle. The bright, green grass rolled back and forth to match the wind's speed. It stood out against the meadow with the sun shining down on it. It was the end of the arena, right in the middle of a forest. She saw Zen and King Breo standing a few yards away from it, waiting for a winner.

Then, Cyle stumbled into the clearing and saw the flag. It stood clear in the middle of a grassy plain, glowing its usual red. When the male Umbreon looked around, his blue eyes met with a pair of red ones. He remembered talking with himself about letting her win, but he couldn't. His uncle and father stood right there, and would be so proud if he won this thing. Cyle wasn't going down without a fight.

Without a second thought, they both took off, and allies became enemies. Abbie couldn't run with three legs, so she used four. The pain pierced her mind, but only for a second as the adrenaline rush took over. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears, and feel it in her head. She had to win, or else everything she ever hoped for would be lost.

Cyle saw Abbie's struggle to run with four legs. The way her back paw twisted after it was lifted assured him that it was broken, but even then she was still faster than him. Cyle needed to slow her down if he had any chance of beating her there. Within seconds, a fragment of energy formed into Shadow Ball. He launched it at Abbie while continuing to run.

Normally, Abbie would continue on, knowing the orb wouldn't affect her, but she was a dark type now. She stopped in her tracks, letting the Shadow Ball hit the ground in front of her, and continued running. Cyle was now slightly ahead of her, but that wasn't going to stop her. She started running toward him, her tail coated in iron, and soon caught up with him. With one swing of her tail, he was hurled into the trunk of a tree.

The male Umbreon flinched as his back hit the solid wood, but he did his best to ignore it and landed back on his paws. Abbie was close to the flag at this point, and Cyle couldn't catch up in time. He focused his Psychic on a small tree, uprooting it and sending it flying toward Abbie. She jumped, but not high enough as the tree trunk smacked her legs. She flipped over and landed on her sprained paw, barely holding back a pained howl, but stood back up and continued running.

They were both too close to the flag to try and use another move, which would only slow them down. Both of them focused on running, and when Cyle jumped, so did Abbie. The flag was yanked off of the pole and the fate that Zen saw in the Future Orb was sealed.

The Wild One was chosen.


	18. Chapter 17: A Royal Invitation

**Chapter 17**

**A Royal Invitation**

After jumping to grab the flag, Abbie collided with Cyle. She rolled gracefully along the ground and laid there, her eyes forced shut and her jaw clenched tightly. She opened her eyes and looked around, but nothing seemed to process. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, and her adrenaline was wearing off. Her sprained paw was throbbing with pain from running on it. Abbie shook her head to clear her thoughts and looked around.

Cyle didn't land as gracefully as his friend. When he bit down on the flag, he closed his eyes and endured the hit against the ground. He rolled a couple times, making him dizzy, and stopped with hurting shoulder and the start of a headache. He saw his father and uncle run up to him and hug him, and then his mother gave him a kiss on the forehead.

"I'm very proud of you," Breo said meaningfully.

"Looks like the future king will also be our Wild One." Clariana rubbed her head against her son.

"What do you…" Cyle went to stand up, but the glowing red flag wrapped around his body stopped him. His ears shot up and his heart began to beat faster with excitement. He looked up between his parents and Zen. "Did I win?"

His uncle chuckled and pulled the flag off him. "Yes, you did."

Abbie rolled her muscles and stood up. She was about to approach Cyle to congratulate him, but as soon as she put her back right paw down it felt like her muscles were ripping apart. She cringed and lifted it back up, and started walking over on three legs. Zen spotted her, said something to Breo, and approached her. Abbie raised an eyebrow at him and stopped, curious as to why he would come up to her.

An image of him as an Eevee flashed in her mind, but she simply rubbed her eyes. Then, she looked at Breo. He was definitely younger than Zen. "You're the oldest…" She whispered inaudibly.

Zen raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You're the oldest," She said louder. "So why aren't you king?"

His muscles tightened because the question she asked often led to another, one that reminded him of things he didn't want to remember. "Because Xerneas chose me to find the Gemini and take on the job of receiving the messages she send us." Zen was suspicious of her questioning private matters, but he told her so she wouldn't be suspicious of him.

"Breo is the youngest."

"Yes, well, when there are two brothers and the oldest won't become king, the youngest one does."

Abbie instincts told her to stop. Something wasn't right, and the atmosphere of Auras became suspicious. She looked into Zen's eyes and saw him trying to hide something. She shook her head and walked past Zen, trying to forget about it.

But he dragged her back in. "You never had a chance."

Abbie stopped in her tracks, anger forming in her chest. "What." It wasn't a question. It was a demand.

"You steal, and the Wild One wouldn't steal."

Abbie wanted to say something. She wanted to yell, scream at him, and tell him he didn't know her life. He couldn't possibly know the struggles of living alone, thought to be abandoned and unwanted. Not to mention that everyone thought she was a thief. She was tempted to yell that she knew he was hiding something, but she didn't. She ignored him and walked to Cyle.

He saw her coming out of the corner of his eyes and said something to his parents before turning to her. She smiled at him, causing a weird feeling in his chest. He pushed it down and smiled back. "So...um…"

"Good job." Abbie said, giving him a hug. "And thank you."

Now he felt something burning in both his chest and stomach, but it was nice. He smiled and hugged her back. "No...no problem." Abbie let go, so he did too, his body suddenly feeling cold.

A Glaceon walked up next to her son, but looked toward the strong, female Umbreon. "You must be Abbie."

Abbie bowed her head. "Queen Clariana."

"So, Mom," Cyle said, "do you think your son is cut out to be the fifth Gemini?"

She rubbed her head against his. "Of course I do, though you will need a little training." She looked around, as if trying to find someone. "Where's Cecilia? The last I heard she was traveling with you."

Abbie's ears fell back and she looked at Cyle. It had been a couple days since Cece went missing, and if Cyle was right, she was probably dead. She remembered the message about Cece being in danger, and the thought that she could be dying made a shiver roll down Abbie's spine.

Cyle didn't know what to say to his mother. He bit his lip, knowing that he should be the one to tell her, but he knew his mom would cry. Even thinking about it made him upset.

Clariana noticed the look in Abbie's eyes and the nervousness of her son. She looked at Cyle and asked, "What's wrong?"

Her son took a step forward. "Mom?"

"Cyle?"

"Cecilia left, and she's not coming back."

Now Breo was paying attention. He thought that maybe they just got separated during the tournament, but now Cyle was saying otherwise. "What do you mean?"

Abbie stepped in, seeing Cyle struggling. "We woke up a couple of days ago and she wasn't with us, but she left a note saying she was in danger and being with us also put us in danger."

"I think she might be dead," Cyle finished. "If it wasn't that bad she would've told us about it."

There was silence amongst the royal family, but only for a moment, and then the tears came.

…

Abbie limped along the line, her sprained ankle giving out under her weight. After a few steps, she lifted her back right leg off the ground and gasped in pain. It hurt too much to use fully.

"It really wasn't a good idea to run like that when your ankle was in that condition," the Vanillite chuckled. He led her back to the examination table.

"How long until I can use it?" Abbie asked. She hated being injured, especially with a sprained ankle. Normally, it wasn't that bad, but that was because she let it heal properly before using it. This time, she ran as fast as she could on it only hours after injuring it.

"Just a couple more days." The Vanillite froze a bag of water with his breath, turning it to ice, and wrapped it in a cloth. Then, he bandaged it around Abbie's ankle. "Just try to walk on your three legs, alright?"

Abbie nodded. "Ok. Thank you."

She walked out of the room and headed down the hall. After Cyle won the tournament, all of the competitors were brought back to the castle and injuries were treated, but both her and Arron were taking the longest to heal. She had visited him a couple times, mostly because he couldn't walk, and her and Cyle had spent a lot of time together. He showed her lots of parts of the castle, including a swimming pool, ice rink, and a target practice room.

Abbie was going to miss Cyle when she had to go back to Wisp Town. When she first met him, they strongly disliked each other, but they sort of just got used to each other and became friends. She didn't know what it was, but Cyle just made her happy whenever he was around.

"I suggest you go back to your room, Abbie."

She looked up from the ground and met a pair of brown eyes. Zen stood in front of her, blocking her path. She simply chuckled at him. "And why is that?"

"Breo and Cyle may trust you wandering these halls unwatched, but I don't." Zen didn't even like being near her.

Abbie fully laughed this time. "Well there's nothing you can do about it."

"If I find out you stole anything I'll…"

"You'll what? What will you do?"

There was a moment where Zen simply growled at her. "Just don't take anything."

He began to walk away, done with the conversation, but Abbie wasn't. She was determined to know. "Why do you hate me?"

"Maybe it's because you steal and play it off like you're a hungry little cub when you're not."

Abbie knew it wasn't the answer. From the way Zen put it, it sounded like he had said it a million times before. He talked to her different than he did someone else, as if he had been telling her the same thing over and over and was tired of it. She heard it before. "If you bothered to give me a chance you would"

Zen stopped, his heart skipping a beat. Did she..? No. He shook his head, and continued walking. Abbie let him leave, knowing pressing him for an answer wasn't going to get him anywhere, and proceeded toward the door to the library.

Back in Wisp Town when she was still a cub, Abbie didn't know how to read, but she taught herself how by visiting the library. At least twice a week she would go, stare at the letters, listen to other pokemon say them, and then put the sound with the words. Now, she could read very well and found it very distracting.

The castle's library was huge and looked like it was filled with hundreds of thousands of books. The room was just as big as the battle room, darkened by the night sky but lit up by the moon shining through the window, and the bookcases ran all around. The books were red, blue, green, black, and even more colors Abbie couldn't name. There were so many different titles, the letters in different styles and rearranged in different patterns. There were books about specific pokemon, how to cook berries, herbs, and battling techniques.

Abbie strolled through the small halls formed by the bookcases, each book leaning gently on another. The letters stood out on the spines, so she read each title: _The Proper Way to Tackle, Types: Advantages and Disadvantages, The Descending, The Anatomy of Pikachu_…

She stopped walking, her heartbeat speeding up, and took a few steps back. The letters on the book's spine were golden against the deep red cover. She remembered not getting a result that day. First she was proud that her strength would carry through no matter what evolution she got, but then she was worried that something was wrong, that she was sick. After half an hour, she forgot about it until Cyle told her about Descending One, the descendant of Yveltal.

Abbie looked at the book, not knowing what to do. It seemed to taunt her, knowing she didn't want to open it, yet it begged her to. Abbie had so many questions about herself, and maybe this book could help her answer them. But did she really want those answers? What if she really was Yveltal's descendant? That meant she was capable of killing so many pokemon, of wanting to kill so many pokemon. The book, her curiosity, pulled at her.

She gently grabbed the book with her teeth. Abbie had to know.

Finding a table to read the book was easy, but actually opening and reading it was not. She stared at it for a couple minutes, still debating whether she she open it or not. If she got the answers she was looking for, if she opened the book, there was no undoing it, whereas if she didn't open the book, the worry would tear at her until she did. There was no winning this one. She sighed and opened the book.

_When the evolution test was first developed, pokemon were walking into new territory when it came to their entire species. The predict the future based on the present was, according to rumor and myth, something only powerful psychic type pokemon could do. It took several years to make the evolution test, and was meant to be used on any pokemon that had two or more evolutions, but the only pokemon it worked on was Eevee._

_Several more years and hundreds of designs later, the evolution test still did not work on any other pokemon. By that time, Eevee and their evolutions had been using the test to receive the strongest evolution to ensure a strong leader, and so the king of the new kingdom passed the law that every Eevee who chose to evolve must evolve into their strongest evolution._

_At the time, Auras Kingdom was just being formed, so the tribes of the land still held onto their legends and myths. When a pokemon died before evolving, the tribes believed that pokemon belong to Yveltal, and rumor began that it was possible for an Eevee to not receive a result for the evolution test. Soon, everyone began believing the myth about the Descending One._

Abbie stopped reading. This was her last chance to back away. She already knew she was descending, but did she really want to know more? The words were right there on the paper, and all she had to do was keep reading. What if when she read it everything about her would change? What if it said that she was capable of killing pokemon, and after reading it she would want to? She didn't want that, but Abbie had to know.

_Tales about the Descending One go back to the time of battle between Yveltal and Xerneas. When they were forced into sleep, Xerneas created the Wild One Crysti to carry out her power, and when Yveltal sensed that energy he decided to do the same. However, he did not have the power to create, only destroy, so he put his power in each of the crysti as well. He used all of his power on the crysti Xerneas made from her horns, so none went toward the Wild One Crysti. But, like Xerneas, he would be able to choose the pokemon who received his power, and that pokemon would be known as the Descending One._

_As this myth was passed down, pokemon began believing that the Descending One would be able to access the full power of the Wild One Crysti. It was also rumored that the Eevee with no test result would be the descendant of Yveltal. That pokemon would have the power to invoke death on any living thing._

Abbie closed the book, the thud echoing through the air, and sighed. She didn't want to read anymore just to find out more. It was just a rumor. She didn't know if it was real, but it felt real. Worry ate at her stomach, her muscles felt tight, and the silence felt so loud. She rested her chin on the book and breathed calmly.

The Descending One was just a myth, and myths were almost never true. But she had the feeling that Yveltal didn't just fall asleep without doing anything to make sure his power carried on. Legendary pokemon are smart and resourceful. Abbie sighed again and put her paws over her eyes.

"And I thought my son looked stressed today."

Abbie put her paws down, her ears rose, her rings brightened, and she stood up. In front of her was a black-furred pokemon with glowing rings on its shoulders, thighs, and forehead; an Umbreon. She was an older pokemon, older than Zen, and she bore a strong resemblance to him.

"Your son?" Abbie questioned.

"Breo," the Umbreon answered, taking a seat at the table. "He had to deal with a lot today, but you look like you've been dealing with worse."

Abbie chuckled. "I doubt reading a book compares to what King Breo has to handle on a daily basis." The other Umbreon said her son was Breo. "You must be Queen Julia."

She shook her head. "Just Julia. The Queen now is Clariana, and it is very relaxing without the title." Julia's eyes caught sight of the book and its title. "You know it's not true."

Abbie's ears rose in question. "What?"

"That book you're reading: it's not true."

She looked down, seeing the gold letters spelling _The Descending_ on the cover. "Probably not, but it does cause some worry. Have you read it before?"

Julia nodded. "Yes, dozens of times after Zen found the first Gemini, Zodia. I first read it when I was little, and was reminded while Zen was training. I always watched for signs that Yvetal's power would be in them somewhere, and that they might be able, might want to, hurt or kill another pokemon."

There was silence for a couple seconds, until Abbie asked, "But they didn't?"

"No. The exact opposite actually." Julia smiled at the ground, almost laughing at how wrong she was. "They started caring for life even more, connecting with each pokemon they saved and striving to make sure they would never be in danger again. So, if that part of the book about the Gemini isn't true, then the rest of it isn't either."

Abbie felt a little relief in her chest, but it tightened again. She had no test result, and that part of the book was true. If one part was false, and the other true, there was no way of telling which other parts were. "Well, a rumor's gotta start with some truth."

Julia looked at the young Umbreon's red eyes and raised an eyebrow. "Are you, by any chance, Abbie?"

"Yes, I am." She nodded, knowing instantly in her mind how Julia knew her name. "Did Zen tell you about me?"

Julia smiled. "Yes. He said, and I quote, that you are a 'sorry excuse of an Eevee who pretends to be a starving cub but is really a selfish criminal'."

"Ouch," Abbie said, placing a paw over her heart, "I almost cared what he said."

Julia laughed, amused by the joke. "I knew I liked you." She looked questioningly at Abbie, this sweet Umbreon, and couldn't help but wonder: "What happened that makes him think of you like that?"

"Oh." Abbie's smile dwindled. "I've lived in the forest outside of Wisp Town for a while, and for the first two years I didn't come out, but one day I was starving because I hadn't eaten anything in weeks. Everyone in town left their stands unattended to watch some battles, so I thought I'd go over and take an apple. It was just one, but, uh, I accidentally knocked a shelf over, a vase broke, and an expensive necklace fell off and got caught on my fur. When I ran, he thought I was stealing it, and then you know how it went from there."

The older Umbreon listened intently, examining every detail in her brain, and it didn't fit together. "When my son first told me about you, a few years back, he was calm about it, as if pokemon like you were a casual thing. As the months went by, and he kept having to go back to Wisp Town, he started disliking you, and that dislike turned into hatred with enough times."

"So what does that mean?" Abbie asked.

"It means Zen doesn't hate you because you stole a necklace. He hates you because you don't listen to him and you continue to do something he doesn't feel is right."

Abbie nodded to herself, registering the information in her mind. "I'll remember that."

"Plus, I think you remind him of someone who never listened to him either."

"Well I…"

"There you are Abbie!" Abbie's ear perked up and she looked to her right. A Glaceon with a tiara on her head and a brown bag on her back, Clariana, walked up to her. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

"I've been here talking with Julia," Abbie stated. "Anything new on Cecilia?"

Clariana looked at the ground disappointingly. "Nothing yet." She shook her head to clear her thoughts. "But I actually came to ask you something. Do you think you can give us a few minutes, Julia?"

"Of course Clariana." Julia gracefully stepped off her chair and headed out, but not before saying to Abbie, "I hope to see you again soon."

"Me too, Julia. Thank you for the talk."

When Julia left, Clariana took the open seat. She slipped her paw into the bag on her back and pulled out an object wrapped brown paper with a nice string bow resting on top of it. Abbie raised an eyebrow at it as Clariana placed it on the table in front of her.

"What is that?"

"A gift. Open it."

Abbie looked at the gift questioningly, gave Clariana an unsure half-smile, and pulled the object closer to herself. It was light, sliding along the table with ease, and the light brown paper surrounding it was loose, held up by the string tied around it. She cut the string with her claw, carefully unfolded the paper, and the golden glint of the moonlight on the metal reflected in her eyes. The pendant was embedded in the black leather of a harness, and it bore the symbol of an Eevee face, no nose, no mouth, just ears, the outline of the head, and two small sapphires for the eyes.

Abbie thought it was beautiful, and it was light in her paw. "What is it?"

"It's a seal, and that one specifically is one of a kind." Clariana stated. "It identifies you as the highest ranking warrior in the kingdom and most trusted of the royal family."

The Umbreon was silent for a minute, staring at the harness with wide eyes and hanging mouth. "You know...most friends just exchange thread bracelets and call each other B-F-F's."

Clariana laughed, hearing the small chuckle from Abbie. "It's for you to keep, because through all of this you have earned my trust, Breo's trust, and Cyle's trust. The Gemini think very highly of you, and so did Cecilia. Even Zen, though he won't admit it, knows you're a very skilled fighter."

Abbie smiled and genuinely said, "Thank you."

"And…"

"There's more than this probably very expensive seal?"

"Yes. I want you to take on the responsibility of being the head of our army and law enforcement. If you decide to take the job, which I hope you will, you will be in charge of our entire army and where they are stationed, be responsible for knowing our enemies, and which warriors are included in the police."


	19. Chapter 18: Cecilia's Secret

**Chapter 18**

**Cecilia's Secret**

Abbie walked through the training room door, the black leather harness fitted perfectly on her and the small golden seal held against chest. Inside the room were the Gemini and Cyle, simply talking with each other, until Cyle spotted an Umbreon.

His ears shot straight up and he smiled. "Abbie!"

She walked to them and sat in the small circle they formed. "Hey guys."

"I thought you were leaving early this morning since your paw…" Cyle glanced down at Abbie's paw but his eyes stayed on the golden seal. He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Is that the...?"

"That's the royal battle seal." Swipe finished. He couldn't believe someone had finally received it. "You know no one's had that thing for four years."

"I was actually working for that job," Luca stated with a half-smile, "before I became a Gemini."

"Clariana and Breo must really trust you, Abbie," Zodia said. "Otherwise they wouldn't have given you a job that big."

"I trust you," Cyle said with a bright grin.

"Thanks," Abbie chuckled, looking down at the seal. "But I think I can handle it. I already got the files on Earth and Oblivion Kingdom and I think I'm going to update them. Send some letters out and meet with the other army leaders."

"How long have you had this job now?" Luca asked, curious.

"About twelve hours."

"Wow, twelve hours," Kila chuckled, amazed by Abbie, "and already you're being responsible."

"All I did was get some files and think about what I was going to do. I didn't really do that much."

"Still, I can tell you're going to make some very good changes to our army," Zodia complemented.

From behind, she heard, "How so?"

Abbie's ears picked up on the sound of Zen's voice, and when she turned around there he was. She could feel the Gemini's muscles tighten. Zen was their teacher, and since he hated Abbie, they felt like they shouldn't be talking her, much less complimenting her, when he was around. However, she could understand that.

"Oh well…" Abbie smiled innocently at Zen, knowing she was about to make him angry. "...I was just saying that, as the new Head of Army and Law, that I thinking about meeting with the ones from the two other kingdoms to make sure we know each other and that we have the necessary information on them."

It took Zen a few seconds to process what she said. Why was she making meetings with the Heads of Army and Law? Then, he saw the seal on her chest, and couldn't believe it. Clariana had asked him about giving that position to Abbie, and he told her that he didn't approve. He did not want a thief living in the castle, nor did he want her to be in control of their entire army and law enforcement. Clariana didn't say that she wouldn't give the job to her, but it made him angry that she did. He wasn't angry at his sister-in-law, but at Abbie. She didn't listen, didn't follow rules or laws, and now she was being put in charge of them!

Zen simply tried to ignore Abbie, walking past her and instructing his students, "A warrior from Oblivion was spotted in Geomancy City. I need you four to go take him back and get the berries they now owe us as punishment."

"Actually," Abbie intervened, "that's not your job anymore."

Zen stopped stiff in his tracks, and Cyle and the Gemini froze. All of them could not believe she said that. The Gemini were unsure of how Zen would react, Cyle was actually about to laugh, and Zen could feel his rage rising. He slowly turned around and looked Abbie dead in the eye.

"Excuse me?"

"Yup. It's my job to enforce the law so...Swipe do you think you can pick up the intruder and take him back to Oblivion?"

Swipe was unsure what to do, but Zen wasn't saying anything. Though, Abbie was now responsible for enforcing the laws. "Uh, sure Abbie."

She nodded toward him. "Thank you. And don't take any berries."

"You can't be serious." Zen stated. "If you don't take the berries they won't learn to not invade our territory."

"You can't punish the entire kingdom for what one soldier did. And I've read up on Oblivion. Many of the pokemon there are starving and in poverty, so taking the berries would be hurting the pokemon there."

Swipe glanced between the two, unsure of what to do. Zodia nudged him and tossed her head toward the door, telling him to go, so he did. The rest of the Gemini decided, while wanting to leave, decided to stay, hoping Zen and Abbie would work out their problems.

But, of course, they didn't.

"When you slip up, when you mess up," Zen growled, "I will be there."

Abbie smiled. "Oh, I'm counting on it."

Anger filled his chest. She was so arrogant! How could she just stand there and...and… Zen growled again and turned to his nephew. "We're going to start working with the Wild One Crysti today." He didn't care if she stayed, knowing that if she did all it would do was make her upset.

While Cyle was excited, Abbie just noticed that Zen had the Wild One Crysti with him. Immediately her ears fell down and she backed up. She had no desire to be near that thing, not since she found out she was descending. The white, four-pointed star hung loosely around his neck, almost taunting her. She always thought it was so beautiful, and that Xerneas's power was amazing, but now she couldn't go near it. Abbie had no idea what would happen.

Zen let the brown band fall over his head and picked it up between his teeth. "Remember, you might not be able to use it right away."

Kila laughed. "When I first started, I think it had more control of me than I did of it. Just be glad your's is on your neck and not your head."

The blue eyed Umbreon's heart beat faster as the crystal slipped over his head and fell gently onto his chest. Finally having someone to hold onto, the band glowed slightly. Cyle jumped a little, but relaxed when it stopped and his neck felt suddenly warm. The crystal didn't particularly like the life source it was on, but had been so lonely for so long that it didn't care. If only it could give its stored energy to a pokemon who could use it.

"First, just try to feel the power of the crystal." Zen said, going through the same thing he did with the other four students when training them to use their crystals. "Close your eyes and just focus on the power."

Cyle nodded and obeyed. He closed his eyes, trying to think of what Xerneas's power felt like. Yet, all he could feel was everyone's eyes on him. Three of the Gemini, his uncle, and Abbie. What if he couldn't do it? His paws shuffled. He didn't want Abbie to think he was weak. He didn't want the Gemini to think he was weak. Cyle opened one eye, and sure enough they were all staring at him.

"You need to focus, Cyle," Zen scolded, knowing this wouldn't be the first time.

"It's kinda hard to focus when you're all watching me." Cyle defended anxiously, his claws poking out and scratching the dirt floor.

"Alright, then," his uncle sighed. He turned to his students. "I want the three of you to practice with each other. And, Abbie," he scowled at her, as if her name poisoned his mouth, "I suggest you leave."

She raised an eyebrow at him, but he simply turned back around and proceeded to ignore her. Zodia, Luca, and Kila began walking to the other side of the room, where their loud and harsh battling wouldn't distract Cyle. Zodia slowed her stride when she passed Abbie, saying, "You should come join us."

Abbie quickly caught up with her. "Sure, I'd love to."

"Great. You should know that all four of us are all battling at the same time."

"So you just attack whoever?"

"Yes. Attack and defend."

"So how do we start?"

Suddenly, without warning, a blast of hot flames hit Abbie just under her chin. She went rolling across the dirt, only stopping when she dug her paws into the ground. The fire didn't hurt her so much as surprise her, and when she looked up at Zodia, the Ninetales had a sly smile on her face.

"Like that." She replied.

Zodia ducked and jumped back as Luca swung his glowing blue bone at her. Kila swiftly ran up to the Umbreon while she was looking way and hit her with an uppercut to the shoulder. Abbie went soaring through the air, but corrected her body and landed perfectly on her paws. Luca threw an Aura Sphere at her, just before countering Kila's special move, which hit her square on her side. She rolled a couple of times but stopped herself, preparing a Shadow Ball to launch back at him.

But after she saw Kila's move, she stopped. The blades on the ends of her elbows extended out and ended in a sharp point, surrounded by a pink and blue aura. She swung her fists impossibly quick in a furious frenzy at Luca, who was doing his best to dodge them but kept getting hit. Her arms were moving so quickly that the blue and pink auras left streaks in the air. Abbie could feel the leftover energy from the move vibrating through the air.

She snapped back into focus as a blazing paw swiped her shoulder and dodged another one as it came. Zodia swung her flame engulfed claws back to back and Abbie dodged each of them by turning her shoulders and walking back. When she was backed up against the wall, she prepared her Iron Tail and used her back paws to push off the wall. She turned quickly and nailed Zodia on her jaw as she went by, and the Ninetales stumbled back. Since they weren't battling by normal rules, Abbie charged up a Shadow Ball and aimed it at Kila.

The Gallade stumbled back when the orb slammed against her side, giving Luca the chance to attack. He charged up an Aura Sphere, but what he released was a thick blue and purple beam. But, he didn't aim for Kila.

Cyle closed his eyes, darkness filling his mind. He focused on the Crysti, feeling the energy flowing inside of it, and imagined that power going into the orb in his chest. Nothing happened for a while, but he kept focusing, completely tuning out his uncle. At first, he heard the collisions of the battle going on across the room, but they became nothing but silence in his ears as he continued to try to access the power.

Just when he was about to give up, the Crysti lit up like an Ampharos tail.

A loud collision occurred across the room as Luca's special move came in contact with Abbie. Smoke flew into the air, and blue and purple aura exploded all around. Cyle's eyes snapped open and everyone paused, looking over to the cloud of smoke. Luca gasped and bit his paw realizing who he had hit. From the corner of his vision, he thought Abbie was Zodia, and if he knew it was Abbie he would've never used his most powerful move.

Suddenly, black waves pulsed through the ground and blew away the smoke in a quick wind. The Dark Pulse hit Zodia, Kila, and Luca perfectly, throwing all three of them into the wall with a loud thud. They landed upright after hitting the wall, pain throbbing against the muscles that received the impact. That Dark Pulse was strong, strong enough to actually cause them pain. They looked up, seeing Abbie standing amidst the fading smoke, although she looked like she was about to fall over.

Cyle was the first to her side. "Abbie! That was awesome."

The female Umbreon felt the presence of the Wild One Crysti and she would've backed away if she had the strength. Instead, she sat down and tried to play it off. "I have no idea what that was, but it hurt."

"Sorry, Abbie," Luca apologized, scratching the back of his head. "I thought you were Zodia."

"It's cool. What was that, though? It was incredible."

"Well I named it, but it's called Aura Storm. It's kinda like Aura Sphere except a huge giant beam."

"We all have our own special move," Kila explained. "Mine's called Psychic Barran Blade."

Abbie's ears perked up. "Was is when your arms were covered by the blue and pink auras and…"

"And I was moving incredibly fast," Kila nodded. "Yup."

"Mine's too dangerous to do indoors," Zodia said. "It's called Thunder Flame and fire shoots down from the sky."

"I'll be able to use my own special move too," Cyle said excitedly. "Once I learn to use my powers. I think I was close, but then you got hit with that Aura Storm."

"You know it's still glowing," Abbie stated.

"Huh?" Cyle looked down at the Wild One Crysti and saw it glowing brightly. Startled, he jumped back, and the light died. "Aw, I might've been able to do something."

"It's okay Cyle," Zen reassured. "You'll get there."

Abbie bit her lip, staring at the Crysti uneasily.

…

Zen had no idea why Clariana would choose a mutt from the streets to be trusted with Auras Kingdom's army and law system. Sure, he knew how talented the young Umbreon was with battling, but it wasn't the same as commanding an army or keeping track of the laws. He was certain she didn't even know how to follow the laws. He was becoming aggravated with Abbie. Everyone who used to hate her now loved her. Zen told King Breo and Queen Clariana about her. Now, Breo thought she was amazing and Clariana loved her. Even the Gemini, who knew Abbie and how she was, had a completely different opinion of her. Zen was the only one who remembered how she used to be just weeks ago. Pokemon don't change in a few weeks.

Zen walked into the throne room to find that the royals weren't on their thrones by the Future Orb. Instead, they were by the panoramic view window, staring down into the garden. The Umbreon walked over to them, glancing down as well. The second floor view let him see just what his five students were up to. They were outside…with Abbie. Zen growled unintentionally, catching the attention of the two beside him.

"You really don't like her, do you Zen?" Clariana questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Not at all," Zen growled back in response, watching her effortlessly dodge the Aura Spheres Luca threw her way. "She's a thief."

Breo frowned at his brother. "She's always been the way I met her, and I think she was only stealing because she needed food. Maybe she's changed now that she doesn't need to steal."

Zen snapped his head toward the Jolteon. "She's tricking everyone into believing that helpless little cub act. And that's just what it is! An act!" There was silence after the Umbreon's sharp voice echoed through the room. His ears fell after he saw the worried look on his little brother's face, and he shook his head and looked down. "Sorry."

Clariana walked up next to Zen and placed a sympathetic paw on his shoulder. "I don't think she's changed, Zen." She said calmly. The dark type was about to say something, but the queen wasn't done. "I think you've only seen one side of her. The side that was trying to survive."

"I don't trust her." Zen admitted, gritting his teeth. "I think she's going to steal the crystal."

Breo's ears folded back. "Why would you think that?"

"Because…because the Gemini and I took it from her. She uncovered it back in Wisp Town and we had to take it."

"Brother, I don't think there is a reason you think she's going to take it," Breo bent over and put his head between Zen and the floor, and looked up at his big brother. The blue ones met the red ones. "I think she reminds you of someone."

"Earth Kingdom just told us that they found four small red diamonds, but that Oblivion Kingdom already bought them." Zen gritted his teeth even harder and spoke through his clenched jaw. "That's what Leone's research said. I didn't think it was true. I didn't b-believe him, but now she has them. What if...you know she wants revenge. She'll kill everyone without hesitation!"

Clariana had never seen Zen so shaken up and worried. She pulled him into a tight embrace. "You did what you had to do. He would've killed thousands of pokemon and destroyed all life in this region. It's not your fault."

Zen forced out a breath of air, somewhat resembling a terrified laugh. He shook his head at himself. "It feels like my fault."

Outside, Abbie shouted, "Can't you go any faster?" She dodged another Aura Sphere the Lucario launched with ease. "You're going at the speed of a Slowpoke!"

Luca drew more energy from his heart. The blue crystal on his wrist amplified the power in his paws. The Aura Sphere he held grew by the second as he focused on his target. Abbie crouched low as if she was about to dodge like she had so many times before. The fighting type released it, and the blue, glowing ball sailed toward the Umbreon. She didn't move to dodge, but instead moved to swing her tail at Luca's move. The iron glittering tail broke the aura and smoke wrapped around Abbie. When it cleared, she stood tall with an Iron Tail at the ready.

"Faster!"

Luca drew his aura in a second, forming it into a ball and throwing it. "I don't want to go too fast and end up hurting you!" He yelled. Another blue sphere left his paws. "These things are twice as powerful as a regular Aura Sphere."

"I'll be fine!"

The Aura Spheres came faster, one after another. Abbie starting sweating with the effort it took to dodge them all. She had no time to block because by the time she would recover, another sphere would come. Her paws left the ground as quickly as they arrived. She jumped back and forth, flipping around just to avoid getting hit. The spheres just kept getting faster, and that's what made Abbie's determination to dodge rise.

After her energy was drained, Abbie was starting to slow down. There were too many close calls to count. Her life source opened up to welcome the moon's plentiful energy soaking into the rings on her body. The energy her body had increased even while she was dodging all the Aura Sphere's. Abbie's move Moonlight gave her all the energy she needed to dodge throughout the night.

Then, her foot slid, which gave her no time to dodge. All the sweat collecting on her body made the dirt turn slightly soft. Since Abbie didn't fall, she held her ground as a blue orb sailed toward her. Luca's sphere slammed right into her chest and sent a hard blow to the life source in her heart. Her paws dug into the ground to resist being knocked backward. The Aura Sphere pushed her back a clear two feet, but failed to knock her off her paws.

"That was awesome," She panted.

Cyle's ears shot up. "How did getting hit by an Aura Sphere feel awesome?"

Abbie pushed herself up. "It felt like that Aura Storm did. It was so powerful. Those crystals increase your power." She stretched her limbs out, hoping they were okay. Other than being a little stiff, they were fine. "And did you see me stand there and take it? I'm a dark type, so that fighting type move is effective against me. But the fact that its power was increased and I still held my ground…"

"I was impressed," Zodia admitted. "You can surely take a hit."

"How did you do that?" Cyle was bewildered by the girl's speed. "How do you dodge all of them?"

"It's easy," Abbie stretched her limbs. "Want me to show you?"

Cyle nodded excitedly. "Yes!"

"First things first: position." Abbie crouched halfway to the ground, her balance evenly distributed on all fours, and paws shoulder length apart. "You want your balance to be even on all four legs so you can dodge any way."

Cyle copied Abbie's position. "Okay, now what?"

The female Umbreon looked forward, locking her eyes on Luca. "Focus on the opponent at all times. If you can't see them, hear them, feel their movements. Know where they are at all times."

"And dodging?"

"Trust your instincts. The rest will just come naturally."

Abbie looked at Luca and nodded, moving a couple of yards behind the other Umbreon. He prepared a regular Aura Sphere. Cyle was in the perfect position and his focus was on Luca. He just needed to trust his instincts. Abbie gestured her head to the right and Luca released the blue ball. Cyle felt as if it was drifting away, and was torn whether to stay or move, but he didn't take the chance. The Aura Sphere veered to the right just as Cyle jumped to the left.

Abbie chuckled to herself. "The Aura Sphere would've missed even if you didn't move. You hesitated, though."

"I dodged it, though." Cyle pointed out. "Isn't that the point?"

"If you don't have to move, then don't. When you dodge, it takes times to recover and attack. By then, the opponent will have the upper hand."

"I see you're having a little training session, son."

Everyone's heads turned to the back door. King Breo, Queen Clariana, and Zen walked out. Abbie earned a glare from Zen, but neither of them said anything.

"Yeah," Cyle answered sheepishly. "I was watching Abbie dodge all of Luca's Aura Spheres and I kinda wanted to do that."

"He could use a little practice," Abbie said, winking at Cyle. "But his first time wasn't too bad."

"It runs in the family." Clariana laughed, remembering when she first saw Breo training. "That, and those beautiful blue eyes."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah," Cyle said, realizing that Abbie didn't know. "My grandfather had them, my dad has them, and now I have them."

Abbie thought for a minute. Something just didn't fit together about what she was hearing. The blue eyes ran in the family, but something about it just didn't make sense.

"Cecilia didn't have blue eyes," Abbie stated.

Everyone fell silent. She didn't mean to hurt anyone, but she had to know. Cece was the same age as Cyle, which meant they had to be twins. But Cyle had blue eyes, and Cece had brown. There was a slight chance that the Vaporeon just happened to inherit the brown eyes, but Abbie had to make sure. Her two, sibling friends looked nothing alike.

Cyle was the first to speak up, deciding by himself that if Abbie was going to be living with them, that she should know the truth about Cecilia. "Cece wasn't really born in our family."

Abbie smiled sympathetically. "I figured." She said simply. "So who was she before she was Princess Cecilia of Auras?"

"We don't know," Clariana answered. "It was about a year ago when we found her."

"She found us, actually." Breo admitted, laughing. "We were walking in the woods, and this Eevee comes running up to us on the path. She was covered in grass and mud. I asked where her parents were, and she said she didn't have any."

"And then she became a part of our family," Cyle finished. "We were like best friends. No secrets."

Abbie wasn't convinced by the whole 'no secrets' thing. "There had to be something she kept from you. Or maybe there was something she acted weirdly about when you mentioned it."

Cyle thought about it deeply, staring at the grass until he remembered. "Well," He dragged the word on, giving himself a little while to maybe take it back, but he didn't. "I remember how she loved being in the sun so much, and she liked picking flowers and rolling down grassy hills. I thought for sure she was going to choose a Leafeon as her evolution, but she turns around and chooses a Vaporeon. It was so weird."

Once Zen heard it, he was focused on that one word. "Cyle, did you say she chose to evolve into Vaporeon."

"Oh," Cyle bit the inside of his cheeks. "I guess it doesn't matter if I tell you know, but Cece told me that she didn't get a result for her test, so she got to choose."

Abbie's ears fell down instantly. Fear, confusion, and more fear struck her chest. She tried to remind herself that it was just a myth, a rumor, but it didn't help at all.


	20. Chapter 19: Capture At the Castle

**Chapter 19**

**Capture at the Castle**

The Umbreon headed toward the throne room. She passed by the kitchen to get a little snack, only finding the place filled with pokemon. They were cooking all sorts of food as if for a party. As far as Abbie was aware, there wasn't any party going on at all this weekend, but that was probably what Clariana wanted to talk to her about. She would probably be given a job to do.

Abbie pushed the door open and walked into the throne room. "Hello Clariana. Breo."

"Hello Abbie," Clariana greeted back. "Glad to see you got my message."

"Well it was delivered to me at six thirty this morning." Abbie sat down in front of the two, who were also sitting on the ground looking at a piece of paper in front of them. "What's this for?"

Breo turned the paper around for the Umbreon to get a better view. "It's for a birthday party tomorrow night."

"That explains why the kitchen was so crowded," Abbie stated. "So whose birthday is tomorrow?"

"Cyle's." Clariana answered. "But he doesn't know we're throwing him a surprise party, so don't tell him."

"My lips are sealed." Abbie pretended to zip her lips shut. "What do you want me to do for the party? Guard, cook, watch cubs?"

"Well we do need someone to watch the cubs at the party…" Breo mumbled jokingly, getting nudged in the ribs by his wife. He chuckled to himself. "Actually, we wanted you to distract Cyle for a little while tomorrow while everything is getting set up. Think you can do that?"

"Sure. I'll think of something to do." Abbie's eyes drifted to the paper, which was labeled 'guest list'. It was long, almost too long. "Is the whole kingdom coming?"

"Yes." Clariana answered. "They do every year."

"Wow. Then, I guess I'll see you tomorrow night."

Abbie said goodnight to the king and queen before leaving the room. She headed toward her own room, thinking about the birthday party. She was sure that all those pokemon being there would make Cyle happy. He loved talking to pokemon, and rarely ever disliked anyone. Even she became his friend after a while. Cyle was just a likable pokemon. The female Umbreon wondered what they were doing. She always thought that royal parties were chocked full of fireworks and dances.

Abbie started wondering what having a party felt like. Being an orphan, she never had one before. She didn't even know when her birthday was. It was another part of her childhood she had been denied. Now, being a little older, she realized just how much she wanted to have all those things everyone else had.

…

"Did you see all that stuff?" Cyle asked excitedly once he and Abbie were out of the marketplace and following the path in the forest. "That place is bigger than last year."

Abbie chuckled, even though she was just as amazed as he was. "I've never seen a marketplace that big. It's even bigger than the one in Wisp Town."

"So where are we going, anyway?" Cyle glanced all around the forest, expecting a surprise party to be hidden somewhere. "I don't think I've been in this forest before."

"I'm taking you somewhere for your birthday." Abbie replied simply, adjusting the brown bag around her neck. She wanted to make sure Cyle's present didn't fall out.

"Well I know that," Cyle sighed happily. "You said 'happy birthday' to me five times this morning when I walked into the kitchen. _Where_ are we going?"

"You'll know when we get there."

Abbie continued walking, the scent of warm water filling her nose. She knew the hot spring was somewhere in this forest, and she only had to find it. That, combined with the present, was the perfect gift and distraction. They both left the castle at noon and looked around the marketplace for two hours. Abbie only needed to distract the prince for a couple more hours. The castle garden was, as King Breo put it, in desperate need of remodeling for the party.

Cyle's mind was everywhere. He listened for anything that gave hint to what his party was. Of course he knew that he was getting a party, that was a given every year, but he had no idea what his parents were planning. For all he knew, they didn't even remember, but they would never forget something like that. They loved him too much.

Abbie stopped walking, blocking Cyle's path. "Are you ready?" She asked with an excited smile on her face.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Cyle answered. For just a second, his heart forgot about where they were going, and focused on the girl in front of him.

The female Umbreon led her friend into the small, pokemon-made clearing. The heated water vapor tickled their skin and felt cold to the touch. The small pond was emitting steam as several rocks spat out perfect streams of water. It was no doubt that a pokemon had to make that happen. The only other pokemon in the area was a Torkoal, who was usually at the spring as Abbie found out, but he was asleep.

"A hot spring," Cyle whispered in awe. He had never been to one, but heard that they felt amazingly good. They were perfect for relaxing the muscles. "I never would've guessed that you'd bring me here."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Abbie placed a paw over her chest, pretending she was hurt at the statement.

Cyle laughed, knowing she was kidding. "I mean…it's just that…well, you don't seem like the relaxing type of pokemon."

"And what does _that_ mean?"

"You're always so serious about battles, and I've never seen a pokemon not want to go to a spring after a battle."

"Battling gets your body going and the adrenaline rushing. I love that feeling you get in your stomach when going up against a strong opponent."

"I guess not everyone feels that way."

Cyle wasn't shy about getting in the soothing water. At first touch, his body shivered with delight and warmed up instantly. His muscles unloosened at the heat of the water, and sent his body into a temporary relaxation. A pleasant sigh escaped his mouth, and he sank deeper into the water. But something bothered him.

Actually, it was someone.

Abbie looked at the water weirdly. She dipped a paw in awkwardly and pulled it out when she felt a burning sensation. The hot spring water was unfamiliar, and she usually didn't like different feelings. Cyle's laugh came as he got out of the water, dripping wet. She backed away, raising an eyebrow.

"The reason you come here is to get _into_ the water."

"I know that," she answered. Her eyes looked at the steaming water, and she couldn't help but wonder how it relaxed the muscles.

Cyle nudged her forward. "Just get in. You'll love it."

Abbie took her brown bag off, placing it at a distance so that it wouldn't get wet. Then, she waited while Cyle got in before approaching the water. But it was her mistake. The male Umbreon sprung up from the water and wrapped his front legs around her neck, yanking her into the hot water. Abbie wasn't expecting to go into the water that quick, but she felt a whole lot better doing it that way. Her body tingled at the first touch of the amazingly warm water.

She resurfaced and breathed heavily. "I should be mad at you for doing that…but this water feels amazing." Abbie slowly slid under water until only her head remained visible.

"I told you," Cyle stated. "It's too bad we can't be in here for a long time. It'll ruin our rings."

"You're starting to act like a responsible prince," Abbie said jokingly.

They sat in silence, enjoying each other's presence more than the water. Ten minutes passed before they got out to dry off by soaking in the sun. Abbie felt the ring on her forehead shine to get rid of any water that it soaked in. She hated how hot water could ruin the glowing asset of her power.

Abbie lifted her head from her paws, causing Cyle to do the same. "Oh, I have a present for you!"

Cyle got to his paws as his friend searched through her brown bag. "Aw, c'mon. You didn't have to get me anything. This is already enough."

The female dark type picked up the boxed present. "It's your birthday, and I know that pokemon like to get presents."

Cyle was actually just being polite, but he really wanted to see what Abbie got him. He opened the box to see a small pendent attached to a chain. He picked it up with his nose and let it slip over his head and onto his neck. The pendent was circular, outlined in silver and colored a deep blue to match the color of his eyes. The silver chain that held it up was thin, but very strong. It wouldn't break if he accidentally caught it on something.

"This is amazing. Thank you, but how did you afford it?"

Abbie smiled. "I have a job now and a place to live. It really wasn't that expensive anyway."

"Thanks, Abbie." Cyle smiled gratefully, his heart thumping in his chest. Abbie was an amazing pokemon. "I also have a present for you."

Abbie's smile dropped to an amused half smile. "No, I can't. It's your birthday, not mine."

"Alright then. I'll save it for your birthday which is…when exactly?"

"Oh…um…" The female Umbreon scratched the back of her neck nervously. "I, uh, don't know when my birthday is."

Cyle's eyes widened. "What? Why don't you know?"

"Cyle, I don't know who my parents are. They just abandoned me in the middle of the forest outside of Wisp Town. The last thing I would want to know about is my birthday."

The male dark type lowered his head a bit, sorry that he asked. "Sorry," he apologized. He hugged her gently, deciding to save his present for later, feeling stupid for even thinking about it.

…

A whistle filled the sky, followed by the sound of an explosion. Brilliant colors filled the sky, reflecting off the eyes of the many pokemon below. Several more fireworks shot into the sky forming the letters C, Y, L, and E. Everyone cheered for the birthday Umbreon as he walked into the garden. He smiled, recognizing many of the pokemon in the crowd. He wore the blue pendent Abbie had given him hours earlier.

Following the young prince was a female Umbreon. Abbie wore a white flower ear accessory that had a red jewel in the middle. It perfectly matched her Umbreon eyes. On her chest was the Head of Army and Law seal. She walked up next to Cyle and all the pokemon in the garden clapped and cheered, yelling 'happy birthday' to him.

Cyle and Abbie looked at each other and smiled as they started walking to greet other pokemon. Cyle introduced Abbie to his battling friend Tony and many other friends of his. The female Umbreon was very polite, as she was most of the time, and was a very good conversationalist once she started talking. It took Cyle a couple minutes to get her away from anyone she talked to, and that made him start to wonder why his uncle hated her.

Abbie loved the company. She had grown up without anyone so naturally she just loved being around pokemon. She was about to meet another friend of Cyle's when a familiar voice pricked her ears.

"Miss me?"

Abbie turned around and found a yellow furred pokemon. "Arron!" She cried happily. She ran at him and hugged him tightly. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"It's only been a few weeks," Arron stated. The Jolteon smiled and nodded nervously. "So no word about Cece?"

Her ears fell down. "No, nothing."

The male Umbreon ran up beside Abbie, seeing his friend Arron. The electric type wore brilliant silver armor decorated with a blue gem in the middle of the shoulder armor. "Arron, you're an Auras warrior now?"

"Yep. A lot has happened since the Wild One Tournament."

The three spent two hours together, chatting, catching up, and eating cake. Cyle was greeted by many of his subjects. Most of them said he would make a fine king in the future, or said they remember when he was just a cub. Abbie smiled, wishing she had pokemon who knew her as a cub, who could tell her what she was like. She wanted to know her mother and father, and know what traits she got from them, what evolution they were, and where her home was. She wished she had a birthday and a family to spend it with.

Abbie needed a break. She needed to be alone and think. She told Cyle and Arron that she was going inside to cool down, and went into the castle hastily.

Zen was checking on all the guards around the castle. He wanted to make sure that no one was going to interrupt the party. He finished his round and was going to go see how his nephew was doing when he saw Abbie slip inside the castle. He had done his best to avoid her tonight since she was Cyle's friend and it was his birthday, but now she was going into the castle to cause all kinds of trouble. He was still fixated on the belief that Abbie was going to steal the crystal. Zen remembered her reaction when she lost the tournament. She was probably determined to get it back.

Abbie walked through the hallways, trying to shake off the thoughts in her head. She had never felt sad before. Of course she had felt sad, but not this kind of sad. This kind of sad was more like a longing. She was fussing over something that couldn't have been helped. The female Umbreon was choosing to be alone when there was a yard full of pokemon, more importantly her friends, right outside. Yet, she was in here feeling sorry for herself. Abbie was prepared to turn back, but something stopped her. It tugged on her heart.

"_Help."_

Abbie turned her head to the side. She heard the voice come from behind the door right next to her. It was slightly open, and she could see something glowing inside of it. Suppressing her mind's warnings, she followed her heart and went inside the room. Right at its center was a small, marble pillar. On it was a four-pointed, white crystal attached to a brown band.

The female Umbreon was drawn closer, completely hypnotized by the beauty. She forgot about the Descending One, her test result, everything. The closer she got, the faster her heart beat. She felt the aura reaching for her, and it distracted her from all other senses. The glass container that was supposed to be shielding the crystal was now broken shards all over the floor around it. Abbie didn't even feel it cut the skin of her paws because the power emitted by the crystal was numbing any pain.

The shadows moved as Abbie slipped her head under the brown band. The crystal slid right onto her neck and tightened upon the pokemon's command. It was too loose before, but now fit perfectly and glowed lightly. The Umbreon smiled as the warm sensation of power filled her chest. Unbeknownst to her, the crystal shared its energy with the orb in her chest, knowing that someone was trying to take it. It knew someone unworthy of it was near. And not just one, but many.

Abbie's ears twitches as a slight scratching noise came from above. A Shadow Ball formed, bigger and faster than she could even imagine. She released it near the top corner of the room, and a boom came from within the shadows. Several stone bricks fell from their place, crumbled to nothing but pebbles. Abbie looked down at the crystal, wondering if she actually just did that.

Her heart skipped a beat and her stomach dropped as she realized the Crysti was on her neck.

"I knew it!"

Abbie snapped her head around to see Zen walking up to her. His rings glowed fiercely, slightly illuminating the otherwise dark room. She saw something back away into the safety of the remaining shadows, and Zen was the least of her concerns.

Zen stood tall in front of her, making her meet eyes with him. "I knew you were planning to steal the crystal!"

"Zen," Abbie tried to reason, "wait I…"

"You even broke the glass to get it!" Zen spat. He attempted to pull the crystal off her neck, but it held onto her. "Don't even deny it."

Abbie yanked herself away, finally feeling the slight pain of the glass cutting her paws. She looked down and examined the floor and everything clicked in her mind. "I came in here and everything was like this." She looked around, and the Crysti helped her sense where the shadows were different.

"Sure it was." Zen harshly grabbed her by the collar and yanked at her. "Now we're going to the king and queen to see what they have in store for you."

Abbie felt something from the shadows lunged. "Watch out!" She tackled Zen across the room and heard the sharp knife slice easily through the stone.

They looked back at the spot where they once were, seeing pokemon was on one knee in front of the two Umbreon. His shoulder and legs were protected by his natural, red armor. The same type of armor covered his head and a yellow blade stuck out from it. His arms and hands were steel with sharps knives extending from the forearms. The Bisharp smiled and chuckled, easily removing his knife from the ground.

"Well done," The Bisharp congratulated. His sharp eyes met Abbie's, which were locked on him. "Normally I would spare you for being able to sense me that easily, but I have orders to follow."

"Why don't you get the rest of your buddies out here?" Abbie growled with her teeth clenched. She stood and faced him, getting into an attacking stance. "That way you won't be able to sneak up on us!"

"You're a very smart girl. C'mon out boys." Bisharp commanded. Four large Pawniard jumped from their hiding places on the ceiling and took their place by Bisharp. "Now there's two ways of doing this. The easy way, or my way. Take your pick."

"I suggest you leave!" Zen barked, stepping closer. "Before I call the rest of the guards here!"

Bisharp chuckled. "I can't leave. Not without the crystal and you two alive in my possession. Besides, all your petty little guards are preoccupied with the party. They'll never hear you calling for them."

The Bisharp moved quickly. In a flash, he was in front of Zen. He slammed his arm into the Umbreon's side and sent him into the wall. Luckily, he was able to land on his paws and ready to fight, but Bisharp landed another hit in an instant. The four Pawniard distracted Abbie. They had to give their leader enough time to knock Zen out and then Abbie, if she was still conscious by the time they were finished with her.

The Pawniard stabbed Abbie with their dull knives, but all it felt like was a poke. She easily repeated her Shadow Ball from earlier. They all missed or were dodged, but kept the minions away. However, the Umbreon knew she couldn't keep doing that, not with Zen getting beaten to a pulp. She was distracted for a brief second, long enough for the Pawniard to attack. One jumped on her back, and the other three knocked her off her feet. Together, they all pinned her to the ground, but she wasn't down for long.

Instinctively, to protect Abbie, the Crysti lit up and commanded the shadows. They tore away from the ground, standing up like pokemon. One Pawniard raised his knife hand, preparing to sink it between her shoulder blades, and the Crysti sensed that. The shadows shot forward like Seviper, wrapping around the bodies of the three Pawniard. They pulled the Sharp Blade pokemon off Abbie, slammed them against the ground, and threw them aside like dolls. With their assistance no longer needed, the shadows folded back into the ground. Abbie, not realizing what even happened, jumped up and flung the other Pawniard away.

Her eyes focused on Bisharp, who had backed the tired and beaten Zen into the corner. As Bisharp raised his blade to deal another blow, Abbie bolted. She tackled him straight into the wall and growled defiantly as he fell to the ground. Zen collapsed as well, but was still conscious. Bisharp coughed, but easily stood. His eyes stared right into Abbie's. "You fight good, even if you do have that crystal around your neck. I didn't expect that much power."

He was suddenly in front of Abbie and slashed her once across the cheek with Metal Claw, and again on her side. She landed halfway across the room, but the adrenaline drowned out the pain. After getting back on her feet, she ran at him, jumped, twisted mid air and swung her Iron Tail attack at him. Bisharp caught it and threw her again.

The pain finally reached her mind, but she forced herself to get up. Abbie prepared another Shadow Ball with the dwindling energy in her heart. She was about to release it at Bisharp, but then her eyes caught sight of Zen in his hands. He placed his blade against the Umbreon neck and smiled cunningly.

"You can release that Shadow Ball, and your friend dies." Bisharp stated. "_Or_ you can surrender, give me the crystal, and he lives. What'll it be?"

Abbie gritted her teeth and looked into Zen's eyes. He growled at her to say no. The crystal was far too important to just give up. Zen was only one life compared to the thousands that would be lost if the crystal was given up. But, the young Umbreon intended not to lose any lives. She let the energy of her Shadow Ball dissolve into the air and slowly pulled the brown band off her neck. Then, she threw it over to Bisharp, who nodded toward a Pawniard to pick it up.

"Uphold your end of the deal!" Abbie commanded, feeling weaker without the crystal and trying to make up for it with her words. "And release him!"

"Oh! I never said I would release him. I just said he would live. You should've been listening to me earlier when I said I needed both of you alive in my possession."

With a swift Metal Claw, Bisharp knocked Zen clean unconscious and dropped him to the floor. Next thing she knew, her world was black.


	21. Chapter 20: Spilled Secrets of Auras

**Chapter 20**

**Spilled Secrets of Auras**

Abbie opened her eyes only to find the dark world blurry and a pain pounding on her right jaw. She blinked several times to clear the blurriness, but not much got better. She saw a shine of red and silver drop a black body on the ground. The clinking of chains and the slam of a cage door were evident in her ears. She tried to move her paws, but the metal sealed around her ankle was chained to the floor, and any movement drained what little energy she had left. Abbie fell unconscious again, listening to the sound of a moving cart.

When she opened her eyes again, everything was clearer. There was slight blurriness and the pain on her jaw was down to a burning sensation. Abbie realized she was in a cage and stood up. Each of her ankles had a metal cuff around them and were chained to the side of her cage. A metal band was around her neck and chained to both sides of the cage. She tried to move, but she was restricted to turning her head. There were wooden boxes stacked on each other and scattered across the wood floor. A fabric roof stretched over three metal rings attached to each end of the wood floor. From what Abbie could tell, she was in a cart like the ones pulled by Ponyta.

"Abbie!"

The Umbreon heard her name. Her ears instinctively pricked upward and she looked to the left. Zen was in the same situation as she was, except his jaw was tied shut by rope. He couldn't bite or smell anything, only talk.

"Zen." Abbie sighed in relief. She was glad not to be in this alone, even if the only other pokemon was the one who didn't like her. "Where are they taking us?"

"I don't know," Zen said with fear in his voice, looking at the boxes piled around them. "But I have a pretty good idea."

Abbie looked where Zen was looking. On one box, there was a feather symbol etched into the center. She looked around, finding every box labeled with the exact same symbol. The female Umbreon thought for a moment, trying to figure out where she had seen that symbol before. She knew she had seen it before. The image was clear in her mind.

"Where?" Abbie asked. She wasn't paying attention to him anymore, but was trying to figure out where she had seen the symbol

Zen was afraid. He was usually never afraid, except for one time a little while back. Only his brother or Clariana could calm him down whenever he thought of it. Now, he was just as scared as he was then. He hid it from Abbie, but knowing that his death was closer than ever made him shake. The chains made a rattling sound when they vibrated.

"We're going to Oblivion Kingdom." He sighed, trying to control the shakiness in his voice. "They've been after the crystal as long as we have, but I never thought they would actually get it."

In Abbie's mind, everything clicked. The pieces of the puzzles fit together perfectly. Every secret kept from her, every little detail, was all just part of something bigger. Cecilia. Her necklace that reminded her of home. Cece not actually being related to the royal family. The timing of her disappearance.

The feather on the boxes was the exact same symbol on Cecilia's necklace that she had left with Abbie.

The cart jerked to a stop, and Abbie's ears shot up to hear the surroundings. She heard several pokemon gasping in disbelief, and then Bisharp's voice silenced them. He came in through the entrance of the cart along with his Pawniard minions. The Pawniard moved towards Zen's cage and dragged him out of the cart by the chains on his collar and the ropes on his muzzle. He struggled to get away, but only received hits and kicks that made him obey.

Abbie prepared the energy for a Dark Pulse in her paws. The Pawniard opened her cage door. Two of them held tightly onto the chains on her neck while the others took the cuffs of her legs. Then, they pulled her forward and she followed without hesitation.

"There's a well-trained Umbreon," Bisharp mocked. "Following orders like a good girl."

Abbie pushed all the energy from her paws, expecting a wave of darkness to knock everyone out. But nothing happened. She tried a Shadow Ball. Still, nothing. Meanwhile, Bisharp was chuckling at her attempts to free herself.

"Don't even try little Umbreon. Those collars you're wearing prevent any power from coming out."

Abbie growled, accepting defeat for now. She followed the Pawniard once they tugged on the chain. Outside of the cart, many pokemon were watching as two prisoners of Oblivion were lead toward the castle. Abbie saw the fear in their eyes, the fear that prevented them from helping. They wanted to, she could tell, but they were afraid. She saw many of the pokemon's ribs sticking out, and even she was never that starved even back in Wisp Town.

The inside of the castle was covered with vines and barely lit. Abbie and Zen were commanded to give some light, and Abbie did without resistance. Zen, however, refused and only received a Metal Claw from Bisharp, which made him obey. Now Abbie knew he was scared. With every step he was shaking more and more, and the ring on his forehead flickered slightly. After one more turn, a huge double door came into view with vines painted on it as a decoration.

Abbie was stopped right in front of the door, and watched with curiosity as Bisharp opened the door. She walked inside on her own, the Pawniard still holding the chains, while Zen was dragged in. The room was fairly large, and a red carpet threaded with gold led up to a stone throne in the middle of the room. Several torches hung on the windowless wall and a skylight was centered in the middle of the ceiling, letting moonlight shine on the pokemon sitting on the throne.

Its body was covered with cream fur, perfectly smooth and glossy. The paws were light brown, and what seemed like a green leaf was attached to the heel of both back paws. Its cream ears transformed into green leaves near the top. In the middle of its ears was another green leaf, full of beauty, and was exactly like the leaf that was its tail. A diamond embedded gold crown sat on its head, and the style was similar to that of a queen's crown. The Leafeon was a beautiful pokemon, but her brown eyes revealed the darkness of her soul.

Bisharp knelt on one knee with his head down and held out the Wild One Crysti. "We have succeeded in our mission, your Majesty."

"Well done, General." The Leafeon praised. Her voice was sharp and sounded like she was one to be feared. She slipped the crystal over her neck. "I'm pleased with your work."

The Pawniard tightened their grip on the chains as Zen tried to step back. He recognized the Leafeon. She was someone whose face he couldn't get out of his head, and now she was getting the revenge she promised him. The male Umbreon was afraid, but seeing her somehow made him feel less afraid, and more like defeated. Seeing her, and knowing exactly what her revenge would be, just made him stop fighting. However, he might be able to live longer.

Lidia approached the older Umbreon first, and for once he looked at her willingly. She smiled deviously. "So we meet again, Zen."

"Sadly," he retorted. His eyes showed no fear, only defiance. It was something he learned to do long ago: shut off his emotions. "But I'm not afraid of you, Lidia."

The Leafeon growled mentally. If Zen wasn't afraid, she was going to break him and show him how the pain she felt was like. "I'm going to make you regret what you did to me. Your silly little kingdom will fall, and I'll kill everyone you love. And I think I'll start with the one who was supposed to save you." Lidia smirked, knowing that Zen was afraid even if he didn't show it. "Bring the Wild One over here."

Abbie was confused. They knew each other. The pieces of the puzzle had come together, but it seems like that was only the center and that there was still the outer part to put together. She needed a why. Why would she do that? Why would Cecilia work for Oblivion Kingdom when the Auras royal family gave her a home?

The female Umbreon was yanked over to Lidia, who was still glaring at Zen. She knew that the Leafeon was intending to kill her, but she wasn't the Wild One. She wasn't the one Lidia wanted to kill. Suddenly, vines shot up from the ground and wrapped around her paws and neck. They grew tighter as she struggled, and once Abbie realized it she stopped moving. Her airway was slightly closed, but she was still able to breathe.

"Your nephew will be the first of many deaths." Lidia made the vines grow tighter and finally looked at the young Umbreon next to her. When she saw the red eyes, Lidia realized a mistake had been made. "You're…not the Wild One."

The vines around Abbie's throat grew limp and fell to the ground. Abbie coughed with relief and fell to her stomach. New vines sealed around General Bisharp's wrists, ankles, and stomach. Lidia was angry now. No one, no one, failed orders from her and lived to tell the tale.

"It was a simple task!" Lidia spat. "You were supposed to get the Umbreon with blue eyes!"

"Y-your Majesty," Bisharp croaked. "She is the Wild One."

"You!" Lidia pointed a paw at one of the Pawniard holding Abbie's chains. "Go get my daughter, now! And we'll see who the Wild One really is. My daughter never lies to me."

"Q-queen Lidia." The Pawniard, still holding the chain, stepped forward. "But what about the p-prisoner?"

"She won't escape." Lidia eyed Abbie, who stood to make a point that she wasn't weak. "She's a smart one and knows better."

The Pawniard bowed and left quickly. It was only a few minutes before he returned, but the pokemon he brought with him made Abbie bit her tongue to keep from screaming. A Vaporeon came through the door. She looked exactly like she did when Abbie last saw her.

"Cecilia. Come here." Lidia commanded.

"Yes mother." She said and went to her mother's side obediently. She caught a glimpse of the two Umbreon by the door, and assumed they were Zen and Cyle. "You wanted me?"

"Tell me again about how you found out who the Wild One was."

Cece rolled her shoulders uncomfortably and eyed General Bisharp. She hoped that whatever she was about to say didn't land him in any trouble. "I did just as you said. I gained their trust, entered the Wild One Tournament, left and pretended I died, and then I watch as the prince grabbed the flag."

Lidia nodded. "And how would you describe the prince of Auras?" She asked, even though she knew the answer.

"He's an Umbreon with blue eyes and…"

"There!" Lidia interrupted, her point already proven. "An Umbreon with blue eyes is the Wild One. Now tell me, General. Does that Umbreon have blue eyes?"

Bisharp shook his head. "B...but s-she used the crystal. I saw it with my…my own eyes. Her Shadow Ball was…"

Lidia tightened the vine around his neck. "Lying will not save you, General!"

Cecilia looked at the younger Umbreon, and saw Abbie. She shook her head slightly, worry filling her stomach. Abbie wasn't supposed to be captured. Just Zen and Cyle, yet here the dark type was. Cece tried to approach Abbie, but the Umbreon bared her teeth.

Cece took out one final trick. "Wait! Mom! If what he is saying is true, then Abbie's a descending, just like me. She might be able to use the Crysti too."

Abbie was scared and confused. If both her and Cece were descending, did that mean one of them could be a descendant of Yveltal? Abbie didn't want it to be herself. She didn't want to kill innocent pokemon.

The Leafeon was now in front of Abbie. She eyed Zen and smirked. He was still, caught on the fact that Abbie was a descending. Lidia easily slipped the necklace off and put it on Abbie. The Umbreon didn't fight. She wouldn't try to escape, knowing that any wrong move was useless and that the metal collar was preventing the power from escaping her body. Instead, she obeyed and made everything easier for both her and Lidia.

"Cut her loose." Lidia commanded. The Pawniard looked at her as if she was crazy, but she said again, her voice sharper, "Cut her loose."

The metal was easily taken off. Even with a chance to escape, Abbie stayed standing where she was. She knew this had to be a trap, or a test of some sort, but she knew that doing something reckless would only end up with someone getting hurt. And right now, they could kill Zen any time they wanted. She couldn't leave him, even if he did hate her.

The vines around Bisharp retreated back into the ground. "Attack her." Lidia commanded.

Bisharp obeyed without hesitation. He did not want to be entangled in the vines Lidia deemed as his punishment. Within a second, he was prepared to hit Abbie with a Metal Claw. The Umbreon dodged quickly, moving only a couple feet sideways. Bisharp's claw dug into the stone ground, but he easily pulled it out and swung to his left at Abbie. She ducked instinctively, the crystal glowing as she used its power, and tackled the steel type across the room.

Abbie was amazed at her own power. She could feel the crystal tighten its grip on her neck, as if it didn't want to let go. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't even see Bisharp until it was nearly too late. His knife came down, and Abbie was barely able to move out of the way. The blade grazed the side of her neck, slicing through the thin fabric of the crystal.

The female Umbreon felt the weight around her neck fall. She met eyes with Bisharp before diving toward the crystal. Even with the extra power not there, Abbie's speed was still remarkable. However, speed wasn't enough to break through the vines that suddenly wrapped around her paws. She launched a Shadow Ball toward Lidia, just as fast and powerful as she would've with the crystal. The Leafeon only moved out of the way and motioned for her Pawniard minions to act.

Abbie instantly started forming her dark energy in her paws. Before she had a chance to release it, a Pawniard snapped the metal band around her neck. All the power was forced back into the orb in her heart, and she growled in frustration.

Bisharp returned the crystal to Lidia, who watched as it used its own energy to fix the broken strap. "Such a shame, really." Lidia sighed, looking at Abbie. "You're such a good fighter, yet you fight for the wrong side."

"So you say." Abbie retorted. Her brave eyes stared at Lidia with defiance. "I'd say the side that kidnapped me is the wrong side."

Cecilia had been hiding in silence, unable to speak. She was unwilling to speak, at least, not until she had apologized to Abbie for the mistake. By mentioning that Abbie could be useful to them, Cece had just saved her friend's life. Now, after what Abbie said, she realized that that the entire Kingdom of Auras had no idea what their leaders had done. Even Abbie was in the shadows of the knowledge Zen and Breo kept from everyone, even their own family.

The Vaporeon stepped in front of Abbie. "Abbie, do you even realize what your so-called king has done?"

"Cecilia," Lidia warned, wanting to talk to Abbie herself.

Abbie snarled. "I don't think you have the right to say that, considering what you've done to everyone in Auras. And to me."

"Breo and Zen destroyed this kingdom," Cecilia stated. "And most of all: my family."

Zen struggled against the chains. "Don't listen to her! She's lying!"

Lidia saw her daughter finally grab Abbie's attention. She motioned for the Pawniard to shut Zen up. Two of them quickly held his jaws together, preventing him from speaking.

Abbie's eyes opened a little more and her bared teeth turned into a questioning look. "What do you mean? What did they do?"

"Zen killed my dad." Cece sighed in defeat. Normally, she would've cried, but she learned to hold her emotions in when surrounded by her subjects. "My father ruled this kingdom, and everyone was so happy, but then Zen killed him! He killed his own brother!"

Abbie's stomach dropped. Finally, all the secrets were out; the puzzle pieces fit together perfectly. Zen killed his brother, Lidia's husband and Cecilia's dad. They wanted revenge, a sweet revenge, and nothing was sweeter than revenge that took years to accomplish. Lidia sent her daughter to Auras Kingdom to figure out who the Wild One was, and then return with the information. Then, they would steal the crystal, and kidnap the Wild One and Zen. By destroying the one that would save them, all hope would be lost.

What Abbie couldn't believe was the fact that Breo and Zen had another brother. He was never mentioned, but certainly it had to have been known. It was so hard to believe that Zen would kill his own family, that she didn't believe it. She didn't believe anyone would intentionally hurt one of their family members.

Zen finally got the Pawniard to let go so he could talk. "He threatened to awaken Yveltal and destroy the land!"

Abbie's ears rose in anger. "You actually killed him?!"

The Pawniard were about to close Zen's mouth, but Lidia silently ordered them not to. If she played her cards right, she was about to earn herself a very experienced soldier. As Abbie's anger grew, the crystal on Lidia's neck shone brighter, as if it were in synch with her emotions. But it only did that when… Lidia whispered to Bisharp as the two Umbreon kept fighting.

"Yveltal would've killed everyone!" Zen shouted, trying to reason with Abbie. "I did what I had to do to save thousands of lives!"

Abbie bared her teeth. "You never hurt family, no matter what! Even I know that!"

"As a protector of Auras Kingdom I am obligated to protect the good pokemon…"

"As a member of a family you're obligated to be there for them and love them! No matter what!"

"And what would you know about family? You never even had one!"

"I know a lot more than you considering that you killed your brother!"

Lidia sealed their mouths shut with her vines. "That's enough quarrelling you two. General, I want them in the dungeon and tell Miss Abbie my proposition."

Bisharp bowed to her. "Yes, Your Majesty."

Bisharp led the way out of the throne room, followed by the Pawniard who yanked and pulled at Zen and the Pawniard who held onto Abbie's chains tightly. She was angry, no, infuriated was more like it. She had no idea where she was going, nor did she care. All she could think about was how Zen killed his own brother. Abbie grew up with no family, so if she had one she would value them. You never give up on family, and killing family was the same thing as giving up on them.

Abbie went down several stairs, through countless turns, and passed unidentifiable hallways. The room she was led to was tightly locked from the outside, and the inside wasn't much better. The best thing about it was that it smelled like rain. It was underground, and a little moonlight leaked in through the set of bars where the ceiling met the wall. The left and right walls were lined with four prison cells each, and one had a glass wall with holes in it in front of the bars. It was probably for a prisoner that Lidia didn't want escaping.

Bisharp led Abbie to the cell adjacent to the one with glass. There were only metal bars separating the cages. He surprisingly took the metal collar off her neck, and she was prepared to attack him when he threw her into the cell and locked it. She launched a well-formed Shadow Ball at the bars, but it was completely absorbed by the metal.

"Don't bother," Bisharp chuckled, throwing Zen in the cell next to hers. "It's made of the same metal as the collars."

"How convenient," Abbie said sarcastically. "So what is this little 'proposition' that Lidia wants you to tell me?"

Bisharp leaned against the door. "She's offering you a chance to join her side. You can help her take over Auras Kingdom and receive the glory of being a ruler, or you can die with it. Your choice, so have a nice night!"

With that, Bisharp and the Pawniard left. The sound of the door locking was loud, but the silence between Zen and Abbie was deafening. They were just plain angry at each other.

But if they weren't mad, Abbie never would've noticed the scent. It smelt like rain water and dirt, but there was another smell masked under it. Even with the crystal far away, it stilled amplified her sense of smell. The faint smell made a spark light up in her mind. She felt like she had smelled this scent before, like it imprinted in her mind.

Zen finally broke the silence. "You're not seriously considering her deal, are you?"

Abbie huffed and sat down. "Well the fact that Auras is built on a lie means that yes I'm considering it." She lied. She would never join Oblivion Kingdom. Her loyalties were to Auras. She was just angry at Zen. "And at least the rulers of Oblivion didn't treat me like scum."

"You can't take her offer! Lidia can't be trusted!"

"Well, you can't be trusted either."

Abbie moved against the bars separating her cell and the glass protected cell and laid there. She closed her eyes, ignoring Zen completely, and trying to sleep. It was almost morning, and she was tired from the battles and the arguing. She just wanted to sleep, but something made a noise from the cell next to her. Abbie raised her head and looked in. She looked closely, sort of seeing the outline of a pokemon. The glowing band on her head brightened, lighting up the darkness. What used to be hiding within that darkness was another Umbreon, about the same age as Zen. The scent she had smelled earlier was coming from him. He was curled up in the corner of the cell, shaking, and his ribs stuck out. Abbie recognized the look of hunger.

The Umbreon's nose picked up on Abbie's scent, waking him. He never slept easily in the cage, separated from the outside world. His red eyes opened, meeting another pair of red eyes. Abbie jumped up, her band dimming, and moved away. She hadn't expected the pokemon to wake up. The Umbreon simply huffed and fell back asleep. He thought that she might be from his pack, but she had Auras scent on her. They were just more prisoners that were going to rot down here.

Abbie went to tell Zen there was someone else here, but the fact that she was angry at him stopped her. She wanted to talk to the stranger, but he looked like he didn't. So she just lied down on the cold, stone floor and fell asleep.


	22. Chapter 21: Possession

**Chapter 21**

**Possession**

An ear-piercing scratching noise sounded throughout the dungeon as Bisharp dragged his knife across the stone. Abbie groaned and covered her ears with her paws, but the sound only continued. She growled loudly and opened her eyes, seeing Bisharp and on of his Pawniard minions standing right in front of the bars to her cage. He had a berry in one hand and motioned for her to come with the other. The Pawniard held four more Oran berries.

A small sliver of light leaked in from the small, barred window. Abbie couldn't have slept for more than three hours, but oddly enough her body was still used to it even though she had been living in the castle. She stood up, her muscles sore and weak, and walked to the door of the cage. Bisharp gave her a smirk, popping the berry into his mouth.

"So you just came here to eat in front of me?" Abbie asked, raising an eyebrow. She sat down. "Because that is not irritating me, nor are you mocking me. I once went two weeks without so much as water."

Bisharp chuckled and held his hand out in front of the Pawniard, who obediently placed a berry in his hand. "I came here by the Queen's orders to give you something to eat."

He threw the berry carelessly into the cell. Abbie's head jerked to the side and she caught the berry between her teeth, crushing it in her mouth. She enjoyed the juices pouring down her throat, but she didn't let Bisharp see it. She simply swallowed and watched as he started to leave. The Pawniard gestured to the two cages beside Abbie's, but Bisharp shook his head.

"Just give another one to the girl." He commanded. "Lidia said not to feed the others."

The Pawniard nodded and threw another berry onto the floor of Abbie's cage. She didn't eat it, worried about Zen not being able to eat. She had no idea if Lidia would let him even have food, and Abbie knew what it was like to starve almost to the point of death. It was painful and unpleasant. The Pawniard, letting his better half take over, threw another berry in her cage.

As soon as Bisharp and the Pawniard were gone, Zen yawned, which was more like a growl. "Look's like Lidia's planning to starve me."

"You probably deserve it," Abbie said hesitantly. She still couldn't stand Zen, but no one deserved to be denied food.

"I had no choice!" Zen barked, now inches away from Abbie. "He threatened to unleash Yveltal, who would've destroyed everything!"

"But did he actually do it? Did he even come close?"

"Yes! He claimed to have figured out how to unleash Yveltal and…"

Abbie growled from deep inside her heart, and it was filled with anger. The other Umbreon, hiding in the shadows of his cage, heard it. He was awake the entire time, listening to their short argument. Then, when he heard the growl, he wanted to growl back. What Abbie just unleashed from her heart was a sound he was all too familiar with. Back in his pack, it was known as the Call of the Wild One. Every Umbreon learned to communicate through long distances through that growl, and it made his heart jump when he heard it. But then he had to pull himself back into reality. He was _not _in the forest. This was _not_ his pack. He couldn't pretend like these Auras Umbreon had any clue about surviving and battle, let alone the Call of the Wild One.

Auras Kingdom. He had to tell them what Lidia was planning. He had to tell them about the Crystal Minds and that the Gemini were in danger. He couldn't talk. It had been a long time since he had any food or clean water, and his body wouldn't let him waste energy on talking. His stomach barely managed to growl. He let his eyes close, knowing there was nothing he could do but sleep.

As if his scent wasn't distracting enough, Abbie's ears picked up on the grumble from the other Umbreon's stomach. He was being starved to death. She couldn't ignore him, and she certainly didn't want the berries. Abbie picked up the berry by the stem and threw it into the stranger's cage. It gently hit his head, making him open his eyes. She threw the other one, which landed just in front of him.

The stranger gathered enough energy to stand and slowly ate both of the berries. The flesh was crushed easily by his teeth, and the juices helped wash it down. The Oran berries helped return some of his strength, at least, enough of his strength to talk. He stretched his muscles and cleared his throat as the band on his head brightened just a little bit.

"Thank you," He said weakly. "You are a fine young lady."

Abbie smiled. "You look like you've been here longer than I have, and I know the look of starvation when I see it." She gestured to him, and he looked at himself in surprise. "So what's your name?"

"I'm Booker." The Umbreon bowed his head in respect. "May I ask who you are, and why Lidia has taken you from you home?"

"My name is Abbie." She introduced, bowing her head back to him. For some reason, it felt instinctual. "Lidia took me because she thought I was someone else. And she took this other Umbreon for…"

"Revenge," Booker finished. "Yes I know about him. I happened to overhear both of you."

"Well it's nice to know that a stranger knows about me." Zen finally spoke up. He used the band on his head to give more light. "I'm Zen of Auras Kingdom."

Booker gasped as he realized, "You two have to find a way out of here, soon! Auras Kingdom, and every pokemon, is in danger! Lidia has finally found…"

The dungeon door creaked open, and Booker retreated to the shadows without finishing his sentence. He couldn't risk the chance of Lidia thinking that Abbie and Zen were talking to him. He lay down in the same position as just a few minutes ago and pretended to be on the verge of dying, as Lidia would've been happy to see. He had no idea who was coming through that door, but he couldn't risk anything.

Abbie's ears twitched forward. She looked toward Booker, who shook his head and closed his eyes. It was as if he never even talked to her. She looked at the door, seeing Lidia (wearing the Wild One crystal) and Bisharp walk through, followed by a yellow bodied pokemon with a star on its head. A Kadabra. His eyes were surrounded by a pink aura, which was revealed to be him using Psychic when he brought a Lucario in.

The Lucario struggled against the Psychic, but it only caused him more pain. He finally stopped moving, seeing Zen and Abbie trapped behind metal bars. The Lucario was terrified to see his master captured, and immediately began charging energy. The blue crystal on his wrist started glowing, amplifying the power produced by his heart and giving him a greater variety to use his aura. The Kadabra's Psychic power grew weaker. The Wild One crystal started glowing as well, but with a red aura.

"Luca, stop!" Zen desperately called to the Lucario. "You're only hurting yourself."

It was too late for Luca to stop. The Wild One Crysti sapped his energy quickly, leaving pain in its place, and gave it to Lidia. With just a simple thought, thick vines shot up from ground and walls to ensnare Luca. They restrained him, and the use of his gem would only result in Lidia taking his power. He stopped resisting and let his body relax. The vines moved, letting the paw with the Crysti on it hang out.

"You may go now." Lidia dismissed the Kadabra, who bowed before he left. The Leafeon then turned to Zen and smirked.

"What are you doing, Lidia?" Zen asked. He felt powerless behind the set of bars, but could do nothing.

"I'm doing to you what you did to me," Lidia stared right into Zen's brown eyes as she spoke, "and taking the ones you love."

As Lidia backed up, Abbie saw the crystal around her neck. Two red diamonds hung from each side of the four-pointed star. When she looked directly at it, a sharp pain stabbed her chest. She looked away from Lidia, and focused on Luca. The crystal on his wrist glowed upon getting noticed by Abbie. It was trying to communicate, to tell her something bad was coming, that the red crystals were going to cause pain, but Abbie had no idea.

Lidia approached Luca's paw. She took a red diamond from the Wild One crystal and placed it onto the blue crystal. At first, nothing happened. Then, out of nowhere, pain. Abbie screamed in agony as her mind felt like it was exploding, but nothing was happening to her. She fell to the floor, yanking at her ears. It felt as if something was smashing against her chest, trying to pull the energy from the orb in her heart. Luca felt the excruciating pain of a Crystal Mind absorbed by his gem. A red aura pulsed through his body, taking control of his mind. It tore through his brain, tearing out all the qualities that made him a Gemini, taking him out and putting something else his screaming ended, his whole body went limp, and his mind was taken over by the wearer of the Wild One Crysti. As soon as Luca stopped screaming, so did Abbie.

Lidia's plants retreated, leaving Luca on the floor. The crystal pulsed with a red aura, and then died down. She smiled at Abbie when the female Umbreon finally stopped screaming and breathed heavily. The pain finally left Abbie's mind, but weakly pulsated in her head. She stood up, her legs shaking and her heart beating fast. She saw Luca lying on the floor, seemingly unconscious, and gasped. Not at him, though. The blue crystal, the source of his power, on his wrist was now glowing with a red aura to match the three red diamonds still hanging off of the collar around Lidia's neck.

Zen's face was blank as the fear of his situation. "What was the point of doing that?" He knew what had happened, but didn't want to believe it.

Lidia laughed. "He's mine now. He's a puppet I can use to destroy everyone else, and capture the rest of your students." She tossed her head toward Abbie, who was weakly standing up. "And now my assumptions about her are correct."

"What do you mean?" Abbie asked between breaths. "You know something about me that I don't. What is it?"

"You're the Wild One."

She denied it immediately. "No I'm not. Cyle is."

The Leafeon stalked up to the bars of Abbie's cage, staring the Umbreon straight in her red eyes. "I am telling you the truth. Did it ever occur to you that the silly competition put on by your king just might've been wrong? Only the true Wild One could've felt the pain of a Gemini being taken over by a Crystal Mind, and _you_, Abbie, did."

Zen didn't believe it, either. "No. The Future Orb told me that whoever grabbed the flag would be the Wild One."

Lidia raised an eyebrow at Zen. "Well maybe you didn't look close enough."

Abbie focused on Luca, who was starting to gain his consciousness. "Luca. Luca it's Abbie. C'mon, you have to do something."

The Lucario groaned and stood up, his eyes still closed. Abbie called to him again and reached a paw through the bars. Lidia commanded him with only a thought, and the crystal flashed slightly as it sent two messages. Abbie felt a twinge in the back of her head and quickly pulled her paw back, only a split second before Luca punched the metal bars, bending them with ease. When he opened his eyes, they were glowing with a red aura.

"Think about my offer, Abbie." Lidia whispered deviously.

"_Free me from the Crystal Minds."_

Then, the three Umbreon were alone. Zen knew Abbie couldn't be the Wild One. It was Cyle. The vision he had clearly shown him a…then he remembered. There were two pokemon in his vision, which had distinctly shown the pokemon who got the flag, and the one that didn't. He remembered that both Abbie and Cyle were in the exact same situation, and that she didn't get the flag. Now it all made sense. Why Cyle, after weeks of training, wasn't able to even feel the crystal's power, why Abbie's moves were stronger when wearing it on the night they were kidnapped. It all meant that she was the true Wild One.

Booker heard the door close, and opened his eyes to see Abbie standing in the middle of her cage, completely paralyzed. He stood up and walked as close as he could to her. "Was that your friend?"

"Y-yeah. He's a Gemini."

"So, you are the Wild One."

"Yes," Zen answered. "Abbie is the Wild One. It would explain why Cyle isn't able to use it."

Abbie sat down, shaking her head at herself. "Now it all makes sense. All the quiet whispers I heard were from Xerneas. She was asking for my help."

"No. They couldn't have been from her." Zen replied. "She's been asleep for hundreds of years."

"I know what I heard. Maybe she's waking up or…"

"Only Zygarde would be able to wake her up, and he would never do that because then the balance would be upset."

"Just now! She told me to free her. Maybe I can hear her because I'm the Wild One, but that doesn't matter! She told me to free her from the Crystal Minds and I want to know what those are!"

Zen growled at her, and she growled back. Booker decoded the message in her new found Call of the Wild One. "Tell me!" it said. He didn't know how a kingdom born could just use the Call, but perhaps it was because she was the Wild One. But even then she would need some practice. How? How did she just do it so perfectly? Abbie probably didn't even know she was saying something with her growl.

"The Crystal Minds are minerals that were created using Yveltal's power." Booker answered, shutting the growling up. "When Yveltal tried to put his power in the Crysti they couldn't hold it, so when they pushed it out they created four red diamonds called the Crystal Minds. They have the power to corrupt the Gemini and together they can awaken Yveltal."

Abbie looked at Zen. "So you've known what these things can do and you kept it a secret from the entire kingdom! Not to mention you killed your brother and didn't say anything about that either!"

Booker growled sharply, a message hidden inside. that said, "Stop!" Abbie's ears picked up the growl like it was a message and she immediately obeyed. "You two need to get out of here as soon as possible before Lidia is able to get the other Gemini! There's no need for bickering!"

Abbie's ears fell flat against her head and she looked at the ground. Booker was right; they couldn't argue if they wanted to escape. "Sorry Zen." She mumbled without looking up, but she still meant it. "I guess I've just been thinking more about the kingdom than about how you felt."

She only heard him sigh angrily and sit down. Abbie felt bad for arguing about it with him. She didn't know how he felt about killing his own brother, but it did make her angry that he did. Honestly, she didn't know enough about Zen or the situation he was in to say anything about it. He probably did love his family, and it was probably the hardest decision he had to make, but he had to think about everyone else. Abbie might not be alive if Zen didn't kill his brother.

Booker tapped the bars with his paw to get her attention. "Spoken like a true queen."

"Huh? What does that mean?"

"You thought of your kingdom before you thought of someone else, but you did realize how someone else would feel. Are you a descendent of a royal?"

Abbie kicked a pebble. "No. Just a regular Umbreon from Wisp Town."

Booker's ears went up in surprise. Usually only a royal would think of the kingdom first. "May I ask what evolutions your parents are?"

"I don't know," Abbie sighed, laying on her stomach and placing her head on her paws. "They abandoned me when I was a cub. I survived on my own."

The Umbreon lowered his head. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"Thank you."

Abbie fell asleep, exhausted from everything that was happening, and with the familiar scent filling her nose. She knew that scent.

…

"_Abbie. Abbie."_

_The female Umbreon blinked against the harsh sunrays entering her eyes. She used her paw to cover her eyes and looked at her surroundings. There was a dead tree right behind her, glowing with life on the inside. The ground was a plush, green color and the tree were swaying gently with the wind. Abbie backed up, only to run into the dead tree. It flashed with a blue aura, as if startled, and Abbie jumped away. Under the trees bark was a blue river of life that only Abbie saw._

_She felt an unpleasant aura come from the tree and moved away, only to bump into another tree. Only, it wasn't a tree. It was a pokemon, towering at least six feet over Abbie. She was zapped by a tiny bolt of pain and stumble away in surprise, looking up at the four pairs of antlers on the pokemon's head. Each antler had a crystal going through and around it. One was blue, one red, one purple, and one orange. Its body was blue and its front hooves looked like guards._

"_It took you long enough," The pokemon laughed. Her voice was soft and gentle. "I was beginning to think you weren't going to come."_

_Abbie didn't respond. She just rubbed her shoulder where she was shocked and continued to look at the mysterious pokemon._

"_I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I have no control over it, so please keep your distance."_

_Abbie looked at the dead tree behind her. "Are you…Xerneas?"_

_The pokemon chuckled. "Yes. I apologize for the unpleasant feeling. The Crystal Minds have succeeded in taking over one of the Gemini, and part of me."_

"_Xerneas. Where am I? How am I talking with you?"_

"_This is the place where Zygarde put me to sleep, as you know, and I have been watching over life from this world since that day. The only reason we are able to talk is because you finally realized and accepted that you are the Wild One, the one I have chosen to take my place in battle."_

_Abbie looked at her surroundings. "So, am I in a dream?"_

"_No. Not exactly. While we are still alive, my spirit and your spirit are freed into this world. You have not been able to access this place before because you didn't accept that you were the Wild One until now."_

"_I don't understand. How can I be the Wild One? I'm just an orphaned pokemon from the streets."_

_Xerneas folded her legs under her stomach to lie down, getting a better view of Abbie. "You know your self worth, so I don't believe that statement for one second. From the moment you were born until the day you die you will always be the Wild One because I chose you. On the inside is a good pokemon. And I know you will never stop being that good pokemon." She yawned, shaking the feeling of death away. The blue crystal on her antlers were glowing red. "You make the right choices, especially during battle, which is why I have chosen you to fight the last battle between life and death."_

"_Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute!" Abbie shook her head. "I can't fight. I haven't had any training! The battle can't happen if I'm still stuck in her dungeon. I don't even have the crystal, let alone know how to use it!"_

"_Abbie, calm down. Everything is going to be fine."_

"_How can you say that?!" The female Umbreon paced back and forth. "I don't know if…"_

"_Abbie, you are one of the single most powerful pokemon in the world. You don't need the crystal to use its power. I only made it so that when you wore it, I could give you some of my power. And you don't need to train; you are already a very strong opponent in battle. All you need to do is escape and access that power."_

"_How do I even…"_

"_That's for you to figure out, Abigail."_

_Abbie's ears pricked up when she heard the name. "My name isn't short for Abigail. It's just Abbie."_

_Xerneas shook her head. "Abbie is short for Abigail, according to your parents."_

_The Umbreon jumped to her paws. "You know my parents? Are they alive? Do you know where they are?"_

"_I cannot tell you. All I know is what they named you. I'm sorry."_

_Abbie's ears drooped down. She's wanted to meet her parents all her life, and Xerneas had gotten her hopes up. Even though they did abandon her, it still would've been nice to at least know who they were. She wanted to ask them so many questions starting with why they left her in the first place. She wanted them to feel guilty for leaving their poor cub alone to survive, to know all the pain she went through, but at the same time she didn't. Abbie didn't wish on others what she felt. What she really wanted was to show them that from that pain she grew, she flourished, she was strong. She wanted them to be proud of her, to see…_

"_Abbie? Is that you?"_

_The questioning voice echoed through Abbie's brain. She recognized it, and her heart detected a faint aura. Then, it picked up on another like a Zubat's echolocation. _

"_Abbie!"_

_The female Umbreon paced to her right a few feet, seeing what was behind Xerneas. The beautiful green grass stopped, as if there was a line separating it, and continued on with a burnt gray color. The lively trees turned into dead, blackened ones. The sunlight turned into a smoky haze. It was like there was an invisible line separating two boundaries. On the other side, a Lucario stood. He tried to cross, but something prevented him from doing so. _

_Abbie's ears darted up. "Luca!"_

_Her paws immediately moved. She ran toward them, until Xerneas appeared in front of her as quick as a Ninjask. The legend pokemon blocked Abbie's path, preventing her from going to her friend's aid. _

"_Abbie," Xerneas's voice was concerned and filled with warning, "it is dangerous over there. I suggest you do not go."_

"_Why? What's over there?"_

_Luca couldn't hear anything Abbie and Xerneas were saying. His mind was clouded by the Crystal Minds that possessed them. The tie between Yveltal and the Minds prevented the Gemini from leaving his territory in the dream world, also preventing them from recognizing the giver of his power: Xerneas._

_The legend looked into the dark territory; the place where she was forbidden to enter. "Yveltal. He guards his territory and will fiercely defend it if necessary."_

_Abbie walked around Xerneas, preparing to cross the border. "Well my friend is over there and I'm not just going to leave him."_

_As the Umbreon got closer to entering Yveltal's territory, Xerneas warned, "I cannot cross over there like you can, Abbie. Therefore I cannot help you if you are in danger. Please be careful."_

_She nodded and crossed the border. The cold wind sent chills up her spine, but not more than just the atmosphere of this place. Everything felt dark and lonely. Abbie knew that feeling well. Luca immediately ran to her, embracing her with joy. She felt his fear._

"_Are you okay?" Abbie asked right away. _

"_I'm fine. I just got a headache," Luca answered. "But what about you? How did you get here?"_

_Abbie looked toward Xerneas who was watching with intensity. "Since I'm the Wild One I can freely come to this world when I'm dreaming."_

"_I thought Cyle was the Wild One," Luca stated with a look of confusion on his face. "He's the one who won the competition."_

"_No, it's me, Luca. Do you remember being possessed and that I was screaming with you?"_

"_It's a little blurry but I think so."_

"_Only the real Wild One can feel the pain, and I certainly felt it."_

_Luca shook his head, denying it. "No I don't…"_

_Then a screech sounded through the air. A shadow blocked out what little light there was for a few seconds, before a pokemon appeared in front of them. It was about the same size as Xerneas, colored red and black. Its talons dug into the ground and the combination of its two wings and tail made it look like a Y. A gray man flowed around its neck, and its blue eyes pierced straight into Abbie._

"_The Wild One."_

_His voice was deep and calm, making Luca step back in fear. But Abbie stepped forward. She wasn't afraid of him. Xerneas banged her horns wildly against the border preventing her from helping. _

"_Yveltal," Abbie spoke softly, but demandingly. "I want you to let my friend go."_

_He shook his head. "I am sorry, but I cannot. I am not in control of myself outside of this world. I am asleep, and the Crystal Minds are the things that hold your friends captive."_

"_Well you made them!"_

"_I only did that because life cannot exist without death. I created them so that pokemon in the future would be able to keep everything in balance, but I did not know that a pokemon would use them to harm. He found a way to combine my power and my friend's."_

_Abbie laid on the ground. "What was his name?"_

"_Leone." Yveltal fell silent as Abbie began the sleepily close her eyes. He needed to tell her before she woke up. "Wild One. I will not be in control of myself if you allow Lidia to awaken me. You must stop her before she destroys everyone." _

_Abbie's eyes closed and she escaped the dream world._


	23. Chapter 22: Price of Freedom

**Chapter 22**

**Price of Freedom**

"I've decided to take your offer."

Zen couldn't believe his ears. He jumped to his paws, yelling, "What?!"

Lidia smiled menacingly, glancing toward Zen with her sharp eyes. "Excellent choice Abbie." Her vines shot up from the ground, unlocking and opening the prison door. "I can tell you're going to be a very loyal soldier."

As soon as Abbie walked out of the cell, Bisharp snapped a metal collar on her neck, smirking. "Just in case you try something, Wild One."

Abbie simply raised an eyebrow at him as she proceeded to follow Lidia out the door.

"Abbie! You can't just join her!" Zen snapped, a growl forming in the back of his throat. "She wants to destroy all life in Auras! You're the Wild One! You're supposed to protect life!"

Abbie stopped and turned her head to the side, her red eyes glinting off the light shining in from outside the prison. "I thought I was just a thief. At least, that's what you said."

"So what? You're just going to let Lidia kill everyone?!"

"You killed your brother." Her voice was cold and hard, causing a ball of fear to fill Zen's chest. Even watching from the dark corner of his cell, still as he could be, Booker's chest tightened. "If you didn't even care about your family, how could you possibly care for your kingdom?"

And with that, she left the dungeon. Bisharp closed and locked the door, and was quickly dismissed by Lidia to return to his responsibilities. Through the door, Abbie heard the vibration of metal from Zen ramming the door of his cell. She felt bad for saying that to him, but she had to convince Lidia that she was with Oblivion Kingdom.

Outside, Cecilia was waiting, hoping that Abbie was going to join them. She was relieved, yet nervous, when her friend walked past the door. Abbie was smart and chose to side with them, but that didn't mean she had forgiven Cecilia for lying. The Vaporeon's claws slid against the floor as Abbie gave her a questioning look. There eyes met for just a second, and then the Umbreon glanced down quickly.

Abbie saw the Wild One Crysti tied on Cece's neck. It hung loosely and the crystal sat low on her chest. Its sickly red glow matched the color of Abbie's eyes. She felt nothing near the Crysti, almost as if Xerneas was gone, and she tried to hear something, feel something, but there was nothing.

"Keep an eye on her, Cecilia," Lidia commanded, looking at her daughter with stern eyes.

"Yes Mom," Cece replied obediently. She waited until the Leafeon was gone and then met Abbie's eyes again. "I…I'm sorry."

Abbie looked at the ground, hearing her heartbeat in her ears. "You've been lying to me this whole time."

Cece stood up quickly, determined to gain Abbie's trust. "I know, I know. I lied to you about a lot, but Auras Kingdom has lied to you about so much more."

"It doesn't matter what they've lied to me about!" Abbie barked. Now she was standing. "What matters is that you lied to me! I thought you were my friend!"

The Vaporeon's ears fell down. "I am, I am. Please...let me explain?"

Abbie calmed down a bit and nodded. Cecilia gestured for them to walk, so they began strolling down the hallways with the water type telling her which way to go.

"I lied, and there's no taking it back, but this me that you know is the real me."

"I knew you as the Princess of Auras," Abbie growled under her breath. "I knew you as my best friend."

Cecilia's chest tightened in guilt. "I know you did, and I betrayed your trust. I didn't think I'd find a friend like you there."

"What do you mean?" Abbie asked, confused. "Why were you at Auras Kingdom in the first place?"

"My mother sent me there."

"To do what?"

"She wanted me to stay there until I found out who the Wild One was, and after I was supposed to fake my death and come back with the information."

"Well that act was believable."

Cece could tell that Abbie was angry. "Please Abbie, I'm trying." She waited for her friend to cool down, and then started explaining everything. "When I got the information back to my mom, all we had to do was wait for a huge event to come up, and then she was going to send someone to go get the Wild One and Zen. She was going to have them both killed and then I was going to awaken Yveltal and we were supposed to take over the kingdoms.

"But you didn't know that I was the Wild One," Abbie finished, looking wistfully at the floor.

"Yeah," Cece confirmed. "But you're my friend. I may have lied about being there and being part of their family, but everything else you know about me is true. I love battles, watching sunrises, and Oran berry tarts. I'll do anything to prove it to you, Abbie."

Abbie didn't know what to do, but she had to chose her words carefully. Not to mention, everything she did mattered. Cecilia was sincere in her words, and Abbie could tell she wasn't lying about the things she loved, but that didn't mean she wanted to forgive her. What Cece did betrayed her trust.

Abbie smiled at the ground, but her eyes glanced up at Cece. "Do you have any Oran berry tarts we can share?"

Cecilia's ears shot straight up and she smiled excitedly. "Of course! We've got tons. We can get one after I show you something."

"Show me what?"

"We're almost there."

Silence fell over them. Abbie looked at the ground as she walked, thinking. How was she going to get out of here? No one knew where her and Zen were, and there was no chance at Zen and Booker getting something to eat so that put a time constraint on her. She had two options: escape before they starved or figure out a way to get them food.

Since the second plan gave her more time to form an escape plan, she decided to work on that one. "Cece?"

The Vaporeon's ears perked up. "Yeah, what's up?"

"When I was down in the prison, I saw another Umbreon. Who was he?"

"Oh," Cece scoffed. "He was sneaking around Oblivion a couple months ago and found out what we were planning. Some soldiers caught him and he's been in the dungeon ever since."

"Well he hasn't been getting much to eat." Abbie remembered the way his stomach looked. It had been a couple months of eating maybe a berry every two weeks. "Do you think maybe you could get him something?"

"Maybe, but it's not my choice. It's my mom's." Cece put it off, not really wanting to think about what would happen to him. "Besides if he's siding with Auras Kingdom he's going to die anyway."

"Cece!" Abbie shouted, not believing her friend was thinking like that. In the moment, she forgot that she needed to agree with them.

Cecilia gave Abbie a weird look. "What? It's true."

"You can't kill an innocent pokemon just because he's with Auras Kingdom!"

"You don't understand, Abbie!" Her anger levels rose. "Zen killed my dad and everyone in Auras Kingdom was perfectly okay with it!"

Cecilia growled at the ground and walked ahead, keeping her eyes on the floor. Abbie, however, would not let her friend leave so easily. Booker was now out of the conversation, and what mattered was Cece. She was upset about her dad, so Abbie was going to be there for her, despite the tension.

"Hey," Abbie said gently, walking up next to Cece. "Do you want to talk about it?"

This was Cecilia. Of course she wanted to talk about it. "Zen killed my dad before I was born." She muttered angrily. "I've only seen paintings and drawings of him around the castle and...I just wish I knew what he was like."

Longing built up in Abbie's chest. "I never knew my dad either, or my mom. I've never seen them before, and I don't know their names."

Suddenly, Cece felt guilt. Abbie knew nothing about her parents, but she still had her mom and knew who her father was. She felt guilty for being angry when Abbie had less than her. "I'm sorry, I didn't…" The Crysti on her neck lit up, sensing a presence nearby and distracting Cece. She looked down at it and smiled. "C'mon Abbie! We're almost there!"

Cecilia burst into a run and Abbie followed at her tail. They ran through the castle door and immediately stopped at the edge of a steep cliff, over-looking a hole in the ground. At the center was a huge, rock-like statue half-buried in the dirt. A claw stretched over the top and dug into the other side. Abbie's chest involuntarily tightened, hurting the orb in her chest. Whatever that thing was, it wasn't good.

"You see that cocoon?" Cecilia gestured a blue paw toward the huge rock at the basin's center. Abbie nodded. "That's Yveltal. This is the spot where Zygarde locked him in sleep."

The Umbreon looked to her friend, who had an amazed smile on her face. She must not have felt the discomfort Abbie did. Abbie's eyes locked onto the cocoon, or Yveltal. If he was in there, maybe, just maybe, she could talk to him. I will not be in control of myself if you allow Lidia to awaken me. She needed to know what he meant.

"Isn't it amazing?" Cece asked, not really needing an answer. She looked at Abbie, who stared at Yveltal, and couldn't tell if it was amazement or fear. "All of the workers who are digging him up are switching shifts right now. If you want you can…"

"Yes."

Abbie didn't hesitate to answer, and she didn't hesitate to move. She left Cecilia's side and carefully made her way down the slope. The cocoon pulled at her chest, urging her to come closer. She sped up, tripping over her own paws as she made her way down. The dirt was dry and loose, making it hard to hold on to, but she kept going. A few feet away from the cocoon, Abbie slowed to a walk until she reached it. Then she stopped. Her chest started to hurt and her ears twitched from a high-pitched ringing. That didn't stop her, though. If Yveltal was awakened, innocent pokemon would die. As she lowered herself close to the ground and began pushing away the dirt around the cocoon, the pain in her chest intensified, but she kept digging.

"You must be in pain, Wild One."

Abbie's ears pricked up once she heard Yveltal's voice, but she quickly folded them down, knowing that Cecilia was watching.

"We must discuss quickly before my descendant comes."

"Your descendant?" Abbie questioned.

"Cecilia is the one I chose to hold my power because I believed she would be responsible with it, but Lidia has corrupted and used her."

Abbie wanted to be surprised, she truly did, but she wasn't. Cecilia was a good-hearted pokemon, but Lidia had made her believe that everyone in Auras Kingdom deserved to die.

"What did you mean when you said you wouldn't be able to control yourself if Lidia wakes you up?"

"All of my power is contained in the Crystal Minds, and to wake me she will have to corrupt all four Gemini. In doing that, the Gemini and I will fall under control of whoever wears the Wild One Crysti. Please, you have to stop her and what she's about to do."

Abbie shook her head."How do you expect me to stop this?"

"You need to escape and take the Wild One Crysti with you. From what your Lucario friend has told me, you should be able to communicate with the other Gemini..."

"Abbie!"

The Umbreon lifted her head and looked to the top of the crater. Cecilia waved her paw, motioning for Abbie to come back up. She looked around, noticing other pokemon were starting to arrive, and took one last glance at the cocoon before heading back up.

"Escape."

…

Night came quickly, and the day's activities seemed to be a blur to the Umbreon. Her chest hurt more and more with every minute she spent near the Crysti, her Crysti, with its sickening red glow. She worried for Luca, but by now she had grown a little trusting to Yveltal. While he was stuck in the dream world, she knew he wouldn't harm Luca.

"How?"

Abbie paced back and forth in her room, checking every few seconds if the metal collar was still on, which it was. If she could use her powerful moves, escaping would be much easier. She already tried to pull it off, but it was too small to fit over her head. There was nothing around the room but blankets and a bowl of water.

She was worried about Booker. He hadn't had anything to eat until she gave him her two before the night before, but that wouldn't suffice for long. The longer she stalled on the escape, the longer he went without eating. Sure, Abbie was worried about Zen too, but less. She was still upset with what he did, but Lidia was going to be less patient with him, and his tendency to snap back at her could end up with her killing him sooner than planned. The escape needed to happen tonight.

The castle had no balconies for second floor rooms like in Auras, so there was no climbing or jumping down. The only way in or out of her room was through the wooden door, and she could smell two guards outside. She could tackle the door down, but that would only result in a loud noise, alerting other guards, and most likely her getting hurt. To add on to that, the door was locked and probably barricaded from the outside. Lidia was aware how strong the Umbreon was. If she could use her moves, taking down the door and knocking out the two guards would be easy. However, that wasn't an option.

But maybe she didn't need her Shadow Ball or Iron Tail, just a little creativity.

Abbie faced the door with an attacking stance and shook her head, knowing this was going to hurt. She lunged and turned, hitting the door with her shoulder, not enough to break it but enough to startle the guards outside. She dropped to the floor and closed her eyes, listening as the guards outside unlocked the door and came in. They both stopped at her side, and one had the nerve to push her with his foot.

"Do you think she tried to bust the door down?"

"Well if she did, she clearly didn't know it was locked."

They both chuckled, and by their voices Abbie could tell they were Pawniard. Simple, weak minions she could knock out in a few seconds, so she did. Her eyes shot open and within second she nailed both of them head on into the wall. The second Pawniard took another head on tackle, but soon they were both knocked out and she was locking them into the room.

She didn't exactly know what she was doing, but sort of just making it up as she went. The Umbreon had about two seconds to decide what she needed to do next. Hopefully, she had at least ten minutes before someone found out she wasn't where she was supposed to be. Getting the Wild One Crysti first could save her on time since Cece was on the second floor and the prison was closer to the exit, but she didn't know what to expect when trying to get it from Cecilia. She could get Booker and Zen first and they could help her get the Crysti, but that would involve running around the entire castle and attracting attention.

The Umbreon began full-on sprinting down the hallways, relying on her memory from the day to guide her to Cecilia's room. She had no idea what she was going to do when she got there, but she knew she needed the Crysti. She prayed for the Vaporeon to be sleeping.

As she turned the corner, Abbie's body collided with another and a quick, sharp pain stabbed her side. She tripped and tumbled over the other pokemon, but quickly regained her balance and stood on all four paws. Her attacking stance mimicked the pokemon across from her. Both were ready to attack.

"Abbie." Cecilia let her stance fall, and her ears folded down. "I was going...to come see if you wanted…" She knew what the Umbreon was doing, and her heart sank.

Abbie saw the Vaporeon lose focus, and no matter how much she resented it, she forced herself to attack. She rammed Cece into the wall once, twice, three times before she fell unconscious. Her chest tightened, not from the Wild One Crysti, but from hurting her friend. She didn't want this, but she didn't want innocent pokemon, or any pokemon for that matter, to die. Abbie shook her head to clear her mind and pulled the crysti of Cece's neck, putting it on her own. She took off running as fast as she could.

Immediately, it tightened its grip on her. She felt pain in her chest and head, but did her best to ignore it and continued to run. Booker, Zen, and her all needed to get out as soon as possible. Every muscle seemed to sting as she ran, and her vision seemed to dull. The Crysti was hurting her and dulling her senses, but she pushed on, focusing on where she was going. By the time she reached the stairs, her vision was completely blurred and her breathing hard. She missed a few steps, tripping over her paws, but regained her balance and continued running. She followed her memory, trying to distract herself from the pain.

Abbie skidded to a halt as she reached the prison door and ripped the Crysti off. The pain went with it and she gasped for breath. She closed her eyes and took a few seconds to breathe, trying to regain her senses. From her experiences with the Crysti before, it didn't feel anything like that. It always welcomed her with a warm feeling. In Wisp Town when she first found it, it gave her the power to defend herself against all the Gemini. And Zen. The second time she wore it, it heightened her senses and strength. One second, the Pawniard had pinned her to the ground, and the next they were off. She wasn't sure exactly what happened, but remembered seeing the shadows move and…

She shook her head. Focus, Abbie thought to herself. She jumped up, grabbed the key, and swiftly unlocked the prison door. Zen was lying on the ground, looking as if he accepted defeat, but Booker sat patiently near the front of his cell. He had only known Abbie for a short time, but he knew that she cared for life and was going to come back. Zen, who had zero faith in her, did not think she was coming back.

Abbie kicked the Crysti over to Zen's cage and hurriedly opened the cell. "We don't have much time," she breathed. "You take the Crysti."

Zen stood up and hastily ran out of the cage. As he picked up the Crysti, Abbie ran to unlock Booker's cell. "You...came back?"

"Of course she did," Booker said, smiling at her. Abbie gave a short, small in return, still trying to fight off the pain.

"Yeah," Abbie remarked. "We need to leave now. I had to take the Crysti from Cece and she could be waking up soon."

Zen held the Crysti toward her. "You need to try communicating with one of the others. Swipe can get here in fifteen, maybe ten minutes."

"No." Abbie shook her head, knowing that every second she wasted on that wa a second that lost in escaping. "I can barely think with that on."

"If you don't try to communicate with them we might not escape"

"Then why don't you do it!"

Zen growled, getting a little irritated. "I can't access its power, and whether I believe you deserve it or not, Xerneas chose you to be the Wild One!"

"The time I waste trying to use that thing means we have less time to escape!"

"If you both don't be quiet!" Booker barked. Abbie immediately stopped, but Zen let out one more growl at her. Booked looked her in the eyes. "Please try, at least."

Without saying anything, she put the Crysti back on. Immediately, it tightened around her neck and connected to the orb in her chest. Its corrupted power pushed on her chest and hurt her brain. It was trying to heal itself with the Wild One's power, but to no avail.

"Just focus," Zen said.

Abbie nodded and pushed away the pain, focusing on Zen's voice. For right now, she would let him teach her. She followed exactly what he said and put all her thoughts on Swipe's red Crysti. This put pressure on her skull, like a headache but much more painful. She picture it glowing in her mind, and then let the voice in her mind speak to it, saying almost exactly what Zen told her. We're in Oblivion Kingdom. She stopped it at that, knowing that she could explain more when he came, and just listened. Now, her whole body burned and began to slightly shake. Zen said that she should be hearing him talk back, but nothing came. She listened closer and focused harder, only resulting in knives stabbing her muscles. It was hard to breathe.

She growled and threw the Crysti off, sighing gratefully at the release of pain.

Zen quickly scooped up the Crysti and slipped it on his neck. He felt nothing. "What did he say?"

"Nothing," Abbie gasped between breaths. "I didn't hear him."

Booker furrowed his eyebrows. He knew the legends of his tribe, and she should've heard something. His eyes caught sight of the metal on her neck. "It must be the collar. They were forged with Bitterroot leaves to inhibit your power."

Zen shook his head. "No. Just leaves couldn't possibly contain the Wild One's power. Maybe.."

"We don't have times for this!"

Abbie rushed out the door, not bothering to look if Zen and Booker were following her. Booker, without hesitation, gave chase. His muscles hurt as he tried to keep up with the young Umbreon, but he pushed on. Zen growled at her, not believing that Xerneas would chose her as the Wild One, and ran after them. Abbie led them through several turns, relying on her memory to lead them out.

"Do you even know where you're going?" Zen snapped, rushing slightly ahead of her.

"Better than you!" She retorted, taking a sudden turn as Zen continued to run straight ahead. She smiled to herself when she looked back and saw him almost trip over himself as he turned back around.

Abbie stopped suddenly, hearing voices ahead. Booker remained by her side, taking advantage of the break, as Zen caught up with them.

"What?" He asked angrily, knowing their escape time was limited. "Why are we stoppi…"

Abbie shushed him and gestured toward the hall to their right. A glowing yellow light flickered and voices echoed. The light was coming closer and the voices were getting louder. She pushed both Zen and Booker into the shadows just beside the corner where the walls met. She turned off her glowing rings and sunk into the shadows, telling them to do the same. Zen did not want to take orders from her, but he had no other choice. Booker, however, simply didn't have enough strength.

Two figures turned the corner: a Machoke and a Pawniard. The Machoke held a torch in his hand, chuckling at something the Pawniard said, "I remember that and…"

He stopped mid-sentence and looked straight toward the Umbreon in the shadows. Abbie's heart skipped a beat. She was completely covered, but he was staring right at them. She looked back and saw Booker's lights off, but not hiding in the shadows. He met her eyes, lifting his eyebrows as if he was distressed, and bolted. He slammed himself into the Machoke with all the energy he had left, toppling them both over onto the Pawniard.

"Abbie what are you doing?!"

Abbie didn't hesitate to give away her position, much to Zen's dismay. As soon as Booker was thrown, she ran from the shadows, focusing all her efforts on him. She slid onto her stomach just before he hit the ground, catching him somewhat softly on her back. He smiled at her, breathing heavily.

"The prisoners have escaped!" Machoke yelled down the hall, scrambling to his feet.

Zen growled to himself, not believing Abbie would risk everything for an Umbreon she didn't even know. He quickly prepared a Shadow Ball and shot it straight at the Machoke, throwing him off balance. Abbie regained her balance and followed up with a swift tackle to the stomach. After landing back on the ground, she spun and nailed a kicked to the Pawniard, throwing him into the wall.

"C'mon guys!"

She doubled back to get Booker running and all three Umbreon took off once again. Adrenaline rushed through their veins as they ran as fast as they could, hearing soldiers running through the halls. After another left turn, Abbie saw the front gate at the end of the hallway and gestured to Zen. He launched a swift Shadow Ball at the lever, snapping it in half. The chains slipped through the pulleys and the wooden gate opened, hitting the ground with a loud thud. They ran into the open air, moonlight pouring into their rings, and Zen took the lead. Booker's strength began to build as his life source sucked in the energy of the moonlight. He sped up, almost matching Abbie's speed, but followed Zen.

Zen switched directions, heading straight for a thicket of tree. "Let's lose them in the forest."

They were so close, until Abbie's legs were swept from under her. Luca grabbed her back foot and slammed her against the ground. He then threw her up into the air before grabbing Zen and throwing him straight at her. They collided, pain shooting through them, and plummeted toward the ground. Luca bolted to them, swiftly kicked Abbie to the side, and caught Zen by his leg. He ripped the Crysti off the Umbreon's neck and dropped him.

Abbie landed on her paws and jumped at Luca. He simply turned and caught her, holding his paw tightly around her neck. The blood red glow in his eyes sent a shiver up her spine, and she scratched at him as her airway was cut off. He looked as if he wanted to kill her, and that image burned into her mind as her vision started going black. He suddenly dropped her and the Crysti as a beam of purple and black pulses hit his shoulder, pushing him back about ten feet. Abbie gasped for breath and looked up, seeing Booker standing just a few feet away.

He ran to her side and helped her to her paws. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah," Abbie croaked, clearing her throat. "What move was that?"

"Doesn't matter!" Zen shouted, picking the Crysti back up. "We have to get away now."

"I'll cover us," Booker smirked, glad he could finally help. Zen handed him the Wild One Crysti. "Just distract him for a minute."

Luca nailed a punch to Abbie's side while she wasn't looked, hitting her into the ground, and was about to hit her again when Zen smacked him with an Iron Tail. Luca barely stumbled back before hitting him an Aura Sphere, followed by a kick to the side. Abbie stepped back in by kicking the back of his leg and tackling his shoulder. He grabbed her as soon as she came in contact and threw her on the ground, preparing a Bone Rush in his paws. Zen pulled Abbie out of the way just as the bone came down and shot as Shadow Ball toward his student. Luca, at an insane speed, blocking it with a small Aura Sphere, then spun around and launched a bigger one. This time, Abbie tackled Zen out of the way and ran in close to try to tackle him again, but the Lucario simply smacked her to the side. He focused his attention on the Crysti.

While Abbie and Zen were keeping Luca distracted, Booker was focusing his thoughts. He hadn't summoned rain in six years, ever since he was with two young cubs, and this one needed to be just as hard as the last one. If he got it to rain hard enough it would cover their escape, just like it did for him and his wife last time. He rolled his shoulders and cleared his throat, then roared into the air. The sound went on forever with nothing to bounce off, and clouds started to roll in. He went to roar again to bring the rain faster, but was quickly stopped by an Aura Sphere to the chest. He flew clear ten feet back, only able to look up just in time for Luca to grab him, take the Crysti, and throw him back to Abbie and Zen. He was barely able to land back on his feet from the impact.

Luca jumped over the three Umbreon to a group of soldiers with moves at the ready. Included in the group was Lidia, and Luca handed the Crysti right to the Leafeon.

"I thought you would've been smarter than to try to escape Abbie," Lidia scolded shamingly. "I mean you didn't even gain a couple more days of my trust. Just flat out tried to escape the first night."

Abbie grit her teeth. "Wasn't interested in sticking around."

Lidia chuckled, the Crysti flashing its sickly red color. "Honestly Abbie. You would've been better sticking around because now you're going to end up back in that crapped little cell. Luca, dear."

Luca prepared an Aura Sphere in a split second and launched it. Abbie stiffened, ready to take the blow. It was halfway to hitting her when a blur of bright blue whizzed by her head from behind and smashed into the Aura Sphere. A wall of smoke formed between them and Luca, but it didn't stop him from jumping through and coming in for an attack. The three Umbreon scattered, and a Gallade stepped in to combat the Lucario's punches and kicks.

"Kila!" Zen shouted with both relief and worry.

She caught Luca's arm and flung him down, smiling at her teacher. "A little birdy told me you needed help."

A Swellow dove from the sky, taking out Luca's legs and twirling back up. "And a little Umbreon told me." He said uneasily, landing by Abbie. "We need to get you out of here."

Abbie looked toward Lidia. "She still has the Crysti. We can't leave without it."

"I'm on it, Wild One."

Swipe took to the sky and charged toward Lidia, or he would've if Luca hadn't grabbed his wing and thrown him at the ground. He attempted to get back into the air, but Kila was slammed down on him. Luca jumped into the air, threw an Aura Sphere, and landed perfectly back on his feet. Kila's arms began to glow pink and, with Swipe's help, she jumped straight at the blue orb and sliced it in half with her Psycho Cut. She proceeded to swing her arms at Luca, who dodged them all in response.

It hurt her to attack her friend. "C'mon Luca! It's me! Kila!"

No response. Only a Close Combat was returned. She struggled to keep up with it. It was hard for her to believe that she was always stronger than him when they were young what with the way he was effortlessly fighting her. Swipe came into the battle as well, helping out Kila, but Luca kept up with them easily. Yveltal's power combined with his blue Crysti doubled his strength, but submitted him to whoever held the Wild One Crysti.

Abbie, Booker, and Zen began fighting off the soldiers. Booker and Zen were executing their moves while Abbie was tackling, kicking, and scratching. The metal collar on her neck prevented her from doing anything else, but she was holding up just fine. Booker's moves were strong, probably even stronger than Zen's. Abbie kept getting distracted by the odd move that formed in front of his mouth and shot out in a purple and black beam composed of circles.

Lidia sent and order to Luca and he obeyed. He got the Swellow and the Gallade on either sides of him, refusing to let them get close which forces them to use long range attacks. Kila shot a Thunderbolt straight at him, but he moved out of the way so the lightning shot the bird out of the sky. With half of his problems delayed, he shot a fury of punches and kicks at Kila, too fast for her to dodge any of them. He moved around what little attacks she could get out and kicked her face down onto the ground. He jumped onto her back, holding her down with his foot, and pulled her arms back. With everyone else distracted, Lidia ran over easily and plucked a Crystal Mind from the necklace. Kila struggled against it, begging Luca to fight her, but he could not hear, and Lidia placed the red diamond on her Crysti.

Lightning cracked the sky as two screams filled the air. Kila's mind seemed to melt away as her Crysti burned her brain. It grabbed her life source, forcibly sucking away the energy inside to feed itself. Her muscles tightened and pulled against each other while her head felt like it was being bashed in. Knives stabbed Abbie's chest as her brain pounded, threatening to break through her skull. She immediately fell to the ground, pain corrupting her every thought so much that she did not feel the soldiers attacking her.

The rain did not increase from a drizzle to a pour. It simply thundered down fast, hard, and quick.

Booker couldn't leave this girl, whom he had come to care about so much, defenseless. He attacked the soldiers with his Dark Pulse and Iron Tail, tackling and hitting them away. Rain pelted his face and his energy was running law, but he didn't care. He wasn't going to let them hurt Abbie. He stood over her defensively, attacking anyone who came within a five foot radius. When all the soldiers around him seemed to be unconscious, he checked on the young Umbreon. Her screaming turned into a gasping for air. Booker spoke softly, helping her forget how painful those ten seconds were.

Luca separated himself from Kila and stepped back, letting her body limply fall to the ground. Zen looked toward his student, fear stabbing his chest. She stood up, letting her head hang forward as she rolled her shoulders and stretched her arms. When she lifted her head, Zen saw her cold, blood red eyes through the pellets of rain and misty air. His ears fell back and his body froze.

Lidia commanded Luca and Kila to get Swipe, and they didn't hesitate to obey. They turned to him, looking as if they wanted to kill him. He tried to fight back, fly out of range, talk to them, but none of it worked. Each took a wing and pinned him to the ground. He flailed everywhere, desperately trying to get free, as Lidia placed a Crystal Mind on the red Crysti on his back. His screeching filled everyone's ears.

Abbie began screaming once again, the pain corrupting every ounce of her body and thoughts. Booker spoke to her calmly as he slid under her and carried her on his back, telling her she needed to be quiet so they could escape. She nodded and contained her screaming. He barked at Zen, telling them they needed to run, and he hesitantly followed Booker. Before he entered the forest, he looked back to see Swipe's glowing red eyes, and snapped his head away.

Booker, with Abbie on his back, and Zen ran into the forest, just barely escaping with the cover from the rain and trees.


End file.
